Titans Forever
by Bobbydrake2000
Summary: After the break-up of Young Justice, Robin, Impulse, Superboy, Wonder Girl and the others went their separate ways. Two years later, the friends reunite in their first year of college. Follow the new generation of Titans as they battle villainy between studying, beach parties, and trying to forge their own heroic paths.
1. Changes

**Titans Forever #1** " **Changes"**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 _The Justice League Watchtower_

 _Two Years Ago_

Robin, Impulse, Superboy and Wonder Girl were standing in front of the Justice League. All of them looked nervous, especially when Batman looked at them. He made even the toughest members of the group want to break down and cry. After several minutes of silence, the Man of Steel spoke up.

"We know what happened was an accident," Superman said as he looked at the young heroes. He didn't want to be here, but things had progressed to the point where there was no other option. "But you were responsible for this and now because of your fighting and disregard for such a dangerous situation, a life has been shattered."

"We know," Robin said as he stepped forward. "What happened was our fault. We weren't working as a team, and it cost us."

"Ever since Young Justice formed, the four of you, and your other team members have been responsible for a... wide variety of calamitous situations," Wonder Woman said. "Including letting a known mass murderer into your ranks."

"Lobo never killed anyone on our watch," Superboy replied as he stepped forward. "And he took off a week ago*. We haven't heard from him since."

"Because of what's happened, Lex Luthor is once again attempting to push his meta human sanction law," Superman told them with a heavy sigh. "The media is having a field day. Something has to be done before this situation gets worse."

"What are you saying?" Impulse asked as he removed his headphones. "Seriously, I wasn't listening."

Batman sighed as he gave Impulse the death look. Impulse stepped back slightly. "We have no choice but to disband Young Justice. You will still be allowed to operate individually, under the watch of your guardians. Max Mercury, Mrs. Sandsmark, Cadmus and myself will be responsible for your actions until you turn 18."

"But-" Superboy started to say as the final decision was made unanimous.

"All of you are dismissed," Batman said as the four young heroes lowered their heads in shame and walked away. "You have 24 hours to clean out your headquarters before it's sealed off permanently."

And that was the end of Young Justice...

* * *

 _A small, uncharted island several hundred miles off the coast of California_

 _Today_

"This is indeed a glorious day," a woman said as she sat on a throne, her face hidden by darkness. "We are once again fully operational and ready to unleash our plans."

"My queen, there seems to be a problem," a man said as he looked at the screen. "Everything is up and running except for the core. Without that, our power won't last long."

"Then get the core running," the woman said angrily.

"It's not that simple," the technician said nervously. "The core is missing one final component that, unlike the rest of the device, can't be duplicated. It's a one of a kind piece. Mr. Savage built it with one very special component in mind."

"Then send our men to bring it here," the H.I.V.E. Mistress said as she continued to sit in the shadows. "I want nothing to stand in our way."

* * *

 _UCLA_

18 year old Bart Allen looked at the empty dorm room and pushed a strand of his long brown hair out of his yellow eyes. He was wearing a red tank top, white shorts, and red sneakers as he entered the room for the first time. In the blink of an eye, the room was filled with furniture, rock posters, and various things from home. His six-foot frame sat back in a beanbag chair and popped open a grape soda to relax. He'd just performed a job that should have taken all day within thirty seconds.

"Wow, you work fast," a young man with short blonde hair said as he walked in, wearing a baseball jersey, blue jeans, and tennis shoes. He was carrying a box as he walked in and set it down.

Bart looked up at his roommate. "Hey, Cody. Didn't think you'd be here this soon."

"Are you kidding?" Cody asked as Bart handed him a soda. "My dad couldn't wait to push me out the door."

"Sounds like my Uncle Jay," Bart replied as the two toasted. "Well, here's to the start of our new life."

The two tapped cans and took a drink.

* * *

"Hello, my name is Mr. Tooley," the man said, dressed in a fancy suit as he stood in front of the large class. "And for those of you that think this class will be easy, you are seriously mistaken. I run a tight ship here, and I do not tolerate slackers."

Cameron Weinberg sat toward the top of the class, chewing on his pen. He had mussed blonde hair, with a yellow and blue shirt, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes. He was trying not to lose his concentration, but his ADD was quickly overriding what the instructor was saying.

"If you have any questions, ask my teaching assistant, Mr. Emerson," Mr. Tooley said as he pointed to a young man with short cut brown hair, wearing a brown jacket, blue t-shirt, black pants, and brown boots. "He will gladly answer any inquiries."

Cameron was already doodling on his paper. He was already phasing out everything Mr. Tooley was telling him. Luckily he could feel a meta's power in the room, allowing him to siphon their abilities for his own temporary use.

" _Heh, super genius,"_ Cam thought to himself. _"Looks like I picked the right class to take."_

* * *

Tim Drake was pacing around his room, trying to find an excuse to end the conversation.

"Yes, Dana, I've got enough money," Tim said with a sigh. "Yes, I go to the Laundromat every few days... yes, I have enough blankets."

Tim's roommate Ives was sitting at his desk, chuckling to himself. He was glad he was smart enough to avoid his parent's calls.

"I really have to go, Dana," Tim said as he looked at his watch. "I really have to study."

Tim hung up and looked over at Ives. "Keep laughing. I'll e-mail your parents with the pics of you at that kegger our first night here."

"Hey, that was a proud moment in my life," Ives replied. "I almost finished the keg myself."

"You were naked and passed out on the lawn a quarter of the way in," Tim told him as he headed for his closet. He pushed a secret door open, revealing his costume. Robin was going to be making the rounds on campus as soon as it got dark.

* * *

Cassie Sandsmark, wearing a black shirt, blue jean shorts, and white shoes, was walking down the campus street when she heard hooting and hollering coming from several drunken frat boys. She brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes and tried to ignore them as she walked past, but one reached out and grabbed her butt. She stopped and turned around, giving the boys a quizzical look.

Thirty seconds later, the boy who had grabbed her was in nothing but his boxers, hanging from a flagpole, and the other two were lying on the roof of the frat house with black eyes.

A young woman was screaming as she ran along the campus. She kept looking back, seeing the young men following her. It was late at night, and most of the students were already asleep in the dorms. The young woman tripped and hit the ground as the trio of young men approached, smiling.

"Told you that you wouldn't get away," the group's leader said as he bent over to grab her, when a bo staff struck the man's arm, causing him to scream in pain.

"That's no way to treat a lady," the masked man's voice said as the trio looked around as a series of super fast punches and kicks swiftly took them out, sending them crashing to the ground, unconscious. The young woman was too dazed to see anything but flashes of red and black, then black cape jumping into a tree and onto a rooftop, disappearing out of sight. The Campus Police arrived minutes later to help her.

* * *

Grant Emerson was grading papers late at night in the classroom at the science lab. He needed a cup of coffee, so he stood up and walked out into the hall to get some. He put his money in and patiently waited for his coffee to pour, but nothing happened. He shook the machine, but nothing came out. Grant sighed as his hand glowed with a bright blue energy. He punched the machine, causing a cup to drop and fill with coffee. He took his beverage and walked back into the classroom like nothing had happened.

* * *

Bart walked out of the bedroom, wearing a pair of maroon pajama pants as he headed for the kitchen for a drink. He opened the fridge and realized they were out of juice. He'd have to make a run to the corner store for some... but that would be far too easy for such a simple task.

Bart threw on his costume and zipped out the door. Next stop, Paris...

* * *

The H.I.V.E. foot soldiers, a dozen men in dark black and blue armor with matching helmets, silently crept onto the campus. Their mission was to steal the final component of the core that would power the H.I.V.E's operation. It was on the campus, and the foot soldiers were tracking it with a small handheld device.

"There it is," the first guard said as they saw the science lab. Meanwhile, on a rooftop across the way, Robin, the Boy Wonder was watching them, wondering if he could take out all twelve before they noticed him.

Impulse suddenly appeared right behind him, holding a carton of orange juice. He snuck up toward Robin to surprise him.

"Hi, Bart," Robin said as he continued looking down at the H.I.V.E. Troops without ever looking behind him.

"How'd you know it was me?" Impulse asked as he stood next to Robin.

"Stealth was never your strong suit," Robin replied as he looked at his friend. He never realized how much Bart had grown over the last two years. He no longer resembled the scrawny little speedster he knew in Young Justice. "So, how's college life treating you?"

"Not bad," Impulse replied with a sigh. "It's just... you know."

"Yeah," Robin replied, knowing his friend couldn't find the words. "You know Cassie's going to this college, too?"

"I heard," Impulse replied as he looked toward the H.I.V.E. Troops. "I've just... been nervous. I haven't talked to her or Connor since that day at the Watchtower. You didn't... talk to them, did you?"

"I've spoken to both on occasion," Robin replied as he stared forward. "Don't worry, I didn't tell them."

"Thanks," Impulse replied. "So, who are the guys in the armor?"

"No idea," Robin told him. "But there's 12 of them here, it's after midnight, and they're headed toward the science lab. None of these things are good signs."

"Want to kick some ass together for old time's sake?" Impulse asked as he smiled at Robin.

"You bet," Robin replied. He jumped off the roof as Impulse sped down the wall.

The two rushed toward the troops, who were too focused to see the two heroes coming toward them. One of the troops saw Robin swinging toward him in the reflective surface of the glass door. He turned and fired his gun, but Impulse zipped by and grabbed the bullet.

"Nobody said anything about metas!" the guard shouted as the troops went on alert and aimed their guns. Robin pulled out a batarang and flung it, knocking three of the guns out of the troop's hands. Impulse started landing a series of super fast punches on two of the guards.

* * *

The H.I.V.E. Mistress watched the battle from a security camera, to make sure the foot soldiers were doing their jobs.

"Robin and Impulse?" the woman asked. "If those two are there, there could be more heroes lurking about. Abort the mission."

"But my Queen, those are our best men," the technician said.

"We can't risk those two finding out about our plans," The Mistress replied. "Now ABORT!"

The technician sighed as he flipped a red switch.

* * *

Robin and Impulse had taken down the last guard, and were ready to interrogate them, when the foot soldiers started spontaneously combusting inside their armor.

"The hell?" Impulse asked as he zipped away and grabbed a fire extinguisher. He tried to stop the foot soldiers from igniting, but it was too late. Within seconds, the dozen men were dead. Robin checked them for I.D.'s.

"Nothing," Robin said. "Whoever sent these guys took every precaution. There's nothing to go on. The armor was laced with some of kind of chemical to kill these guys, probably set off by a detonator somewhere."

"But what were they after?" Impulse asked.

"I don't know," Robin replied as he looked up at Bart. "But I know whoever sent these guys won't give up so easily."

* * *

The H.I.V.E. Mistress looked at the technician. "I want to know everything there is to know on those two, and who might be working with them. I want to be ready the next time we strike."

* * *

A knock came at the door as Cassie answered, wearing a red robe and pink fuzzy slippers. She opened the door and found Bart and Tim standing there, wearing their signature colors through their clothes. Bart was wearing a white t-shirt and red sweatpants with brown boots and Tim in a green sweatshirt, black jeans, and black sneakers. Cassie squealed as she hugged them.

"It's been too long," Cassie said as she let them in. "How have you been?"

"Good," Tim replied with a smile. "We heard you were going here and had to see for ourselves."

"Bart, is that you?" Cassie asked as she looked at him. He was easily twice as muscular as he was when she last saw him, but with the same shaggy brown hair and oversized shoes.

"Yeah," Bart blushed. "You look great."

"Thanks," Cassie replied. "I've been training on Themiscyra for the last year and a half. I'm almost a full Amazon."

"Congratulations," Tim said as he looked around the nicely decorated apartment. "Bruce agreed to let me come all the way out to California. Says it's time for me to start operating on my own."

Bart was zipping around the apartment, taking in every little detail.

"What about you, Bart?" Cassie asked. "Any other major changes?"

Tim looked at Bart and nodded. Cassie, being one of his oldest friends, needed to know.

Cassie noticed the nod between Tim and Bart, and the sad look on Bart's face. She wouldn't force Bart's hand. He'd tell her when he was ready.

"Nothing major," Bart replied as he sat down. "So, has anyone talked to Connor?"

"He's still in high school," Tim told the two. "Being raised by Cadmus doesn't exactly give you the high school credits required to go to college."

"Maybe it's better if Connor's not here," Cassie told them. "I mean, after what happened..."

"Good point," Tim said with a sigh. "But it has been a few years. Maybe Connor's forgotten all about it."

"About what?" Bart asked, not knowing what the two were talking about.

"Nothing," Tim told him as he looked at Cassie. "It's all in the past."

* * *

Grant was walking back toward his dorm to get a few hours of sleep before he had to be at his first class, when he saw Cameron walking down the street with a potted plant in his hands.

"What are you doing?" Grant asked as he looked at the young man.

"Taking my plant out for some sunlight," Cam replied. "She needs her exercise, too."

"... Right," Grant replied as he backed away.

"You're a meta," Cam said as he felt Grant's powers. "I can kind of tell these things."

"Yeah, so?" Grant asked as Cam started walking with him.

"Well, it's just... I don't know many metas," Cam told him. "I'm kind of one myself."

"Somehow I don't think taking plants out for exercise is a power," Grant replied as Cam's hand started glowing with a blue energy. "So, what are your-"

"My powers are your powers," Cam told him. "I can siphon anyone's powers and use them as long as I'm near that person."

"That's nice," Grant said as he started walking away as Cam kept up with him.

"So, are you like a superhero or something?" Cam asked as he continued holding the plant. "Or are you just pretending to be normal like I am?"

Grant started to say something, and then decided not too.

* * *

Meanwhile, the H.I.V.E. Mistress had sent one plainclothes foot soldier to find the component, and was walking past Grant when the device went off.

"Found it."

Cassie, Tim, and Bart were sitting in a small diner on campus, catching up with each other's lives.

"I can't believe we've all changed so much," Cassie said as she looked at her friends. "You two have grown up so much since I last saw you."

"It wasn't by choice," Bart told her. "When Max disappeared... it hurt because he was like a father to me. Then Wally sent me off to live with Jay and Joan, and things seemed a little better. I even started dating Carol for a while. But we broke up a few months later because... it was my fault."

"I'm sorry, Bart," Cassie said as she held his hand. "Is there anyone special in your life now?"

Before Bart could answer, Tim looked up from the paper he was reading. "Look at this. A bunch of high tech thefts all along the coast."

"So?" Bart asked as he looked over at Tim.

"So," Tim said as he pulled out a magnifying glass and held it over the picture in the paper. "Recognize that?"

Bart and Cassie saw armor lying in the bushes in front of the building that had been robbed.

"The guys who blew up in front of us last night," Bart realized. "But what did they need from the science lab?"

"I don't know," Tim replied. "We need to do some research."

"Too bad Connor's not here," Bart said as he sighed. "It's just not the same without him."

* * *

 _Smallville, Kansas_

Martha Kent walked into the farmhouse, holding the mail, sorting it into bills, junk mail, and Connor's brown bagged 'special magazines'. She never opened those, she just pretended that Connor needed them for a school project.

Connor Kent was sitting on the couch, holding an ice pack on his forehead, where an unruly cow had hit him when Connor made an attempt to milk her earlier. It took all his strength to not use his tactile telekinesis to make her udder explode.

"Here's a letter for you, Connor," Martha said as Connor opened it up and saw an invitation to a frat party.

"This isn't for me," Connor said. "It's addressed to a Cosmo Kent. It's an invite to a college party in California. Some kind of reunion."

"Well, I'll just-" Martha started to say as Connor jumped up.

"I'll deliver it," Connor said as he pulled his boots on. "I need to get some fresh air anyway, and all my chores are done for the day."

"Connor Kent, don't even think about going to that party," Martha warned him. "You're still in high school."

"I know, but it might be fun to see what's in store for me next year," Connor replied as he headed for the door. "Besides, it's not like I'm going to be drinking. I know better than that."

"Alright," Martha said as she kissed him on his forehead. "Just be careful, and don't stay out too late."

As Martha headed for the kitchen, she heard Connor shout as he took to the air.

" **PARTY!"**

* * *

A computer file was played for the Queen.

"These are all the metas that have been sighted on campus since the school year began," the technician told the H.I.V.E. Mistress. "Robin, Impulse, Wonder Girl, Damage, and Omni are the most recent ones spotted."

"Then we'll need a distraction to keep them busy while we get what we need," the woman said. "And I know exactly how to distract them..."

* * *

"Alright, I've put in a call with my... contact," Tim said as he walked with Bart and Cassie back toward Cassie's dorm room. He'd just gotten off the line with Oracle, who was to send him a list of everything that had been stolen from the high-tech labs along the coast. "Once we know what those guys are here for, we'll know how to protect it."

"Did you guys ever think about us... getting back together?" Bart asked as he kept a few steps ahead of them. "As a team?"

"Every day," Cassie replied with a soft sigh. "I missed us working together."

"It can't happen," Tim replied as he stayed behind them. "Not with our history. Not with what happened. You know this wouldn't work without Connor. Young Justice failed because we couldn't work as a team because there were too many secrets."

Bart turned back toward Tim. "Some of us keep secrets for a reason."

"Bart, are you alright?" Cassie asked, noticing the cold look in his eyes. No, this wasn't the same Bart she knew. Somewhere since the last time she saw him...Bart Allen had changed. She just didn't know if it was for the better.

Bart turned his head back around and kept walking, lowering his head as he looked at the ground. Cassie looked at Tim.

"Don't ask me, because I can't tell," Tim told her. "It's... something Bart has to do on his own."

The three friends kept silent as they continued the long walk back. They were only a few feet apart physically, but in reality they were worlds apart.

* * *

Another foot soldier, also dressed in plain clothes, planted the explosive device in the bushes outside of the dorm room, just as others were doing the same all along campus. Soon, at least twenty devices were planted, all set to go off in exactly one hour.

 **To Be Continued…**


	2. My Name is Ted

**Titans Forever #2**

 **"My Name is Ted"**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 **Previously: Two years ago, Young Justice was disbanded after a mission gone wrong. Now, Robin, Wonder Girl, Damage, and Omni are all attending college together, where the H.I.V.E. is coincidentally looking for the final component of their new power core...**

 _Under the depths of the ocean_

A teenage merman with dark blue hair sat by his mother, holding her hand. She had been dead for a while now, but he couldn't part with her, as she was the only person who had ever cared for him.

"I'll find the one who did this to you," Seren vowed. "I will kill him and make a trophy of his spine."

A short while later, Seren had laid his mother to rest, grabbed his trident, and swam away, following the trail of his mother's murderer, his merman tail swimming gracefully behind him as he headed toward the coast.

* * *

Grant had finally lost Cam when he told the boy that the flowers on his plant were starting to wilt in the sun, causing him to rush off in a panic in search of water. Grant wasted no time rushing back to his dorm. He closed the door and headed into the bathroom to take a relaxing shower before going to bed for a few hours.

Outside, the foot soldier was calling the H.I.V.E. Headquarters to tell them to send more men as soon as possible. He'd found the one component they needed to get their power core up and running.

* * *

Connor Kent stood in the doorway, hoping to find some hot twenty something college women in his midst. What he found was a 50th Reunion, with the room filled with senior citizens.

"You have got to be kidding me," Connor said to himself. "Where are all the babes?"

"We're right here," an old lady with a walker said as she hobbled toward him. "You remind of my grandson. Have some candy."

She reached into her purse and pulled out a piece of hard candy with dust and lint on it. Connor backed away toward the exit as the seniors walked toward him, like it was a Night of the Living Dead parody.

"I'm out of here!" Connor said as he flew out the door.

* * *

Tim, Cassie, and Bart were headed back to their dorms when they saw more of the H.I.V.E. foot soldiers sneaking around.

"These guys don't give up, do they?" Tim asked as he ducked behind some bushes to change into Robin. Bart opened his Flash ring as his Impulse costume leapt from the ring to his body. Cassie spun around at superspeed, changing into her Wonder Girl costume instantly.

The three heroes rushed toward the foot soldiers, who were waiting for them to arrive. Before they could strike, a flash bomb went off, temporarily blinding them.

"We've planted explosive devices all over the campus," the foot soldier told them. "Set to go off in about forty five minutes. And they're motion sensitive so your fast friend there can't just pluck them up and take them away."

"What do you want?" Robin asked as he held his bo staff.

"I could tell you, but then she'd have to kill me," the foot soldier said as he smiled at Robin. "Clock's ticking, bird boy."

"How many bombs?" Robin asked angrily.

"Well, that's for us to know and you to find out now, isn't it?" the foot soldier replied.

"They could be bluffing," Wonder Girl told him.

"We can't take that chance," Robin replied. "Not with all these innocent lives at stake. Impulse, can you search the campus?"

Impulse zipped away, and then quickly returned. "Twenty one bombs, all over. And I can't just get rid of them; they have to be disarmed manually."

"Then draw me and Cassie a map," Robin replied as Impulse quickly drew up two maps of the campus from memory. "Everyone spread out and disarm as many bombs as you can!"

The three heroes took off as the foot soldiers laughed and headed toward Grant's dorm.

* * *

"I don't believe this," Connor said as he walked along the street. "Nothing but old people and college nerds. Not one single hot girl."

It was then that he saw Wonder Girl flying overhead.

"Cassie's going here?" Connor said to himself as he decided to follow, but ran into Cameron. "Hey, watch where you're going!"

"Sorry," Cam told him. "I'm trying to find my new bestest friend so I can tell him my plant's alright."

"... Right," Connor said as he backed away slowly.

* * *

"First bomb disarmed," Robin said as he talked into his communicator. He headed away from the cafeteria.

"Second bomb disarmed," Wonder Girl said as she flew away from the science lab.

"Bart, do you need me to talk you through the disarming process?" Robin asked as he rushed toward his next destination.

"No, I think I got it," Impulse said as he disarmed the third bomb. "I got bored one day and read some books on how to build and disarm bombs. Did you know that you can build a bomb out of a Yoohoo bottle and cleaning detergents?"

"Yes, yes I did," Robin replied. "You have to know this stuff when you work for Batman."

"I can't believe he willingly let you go solo," Wonder Girl told him as she flew toward one of the dorms. "I thought you were partners to the end."

"He doesn't want to make the same mistakes he made with Nightwing," Robin told her as he rushed toward the Auditorium. "He's giving me room to grow and be my own hero."

"Looks like Robin's not just a sidekick name anymore," Impulse said as he quickly turned the fourth bomb off.

"None of us are sidekicks anymore," Wonder Girl replied as she found her next target. "I guess."

* * *

Grant stepped out of the shower, and walked into his room with a towel wrapped around his waist. He immediately realized something was wrong when he saw the door wasn't closed. He cautiously stepped into his room, his hands glowing with blue energy. As soon as he got through the doorway, two foot soldiers attacked.

Grant grabbed their guns as soon as they jumped down at him. He tossed them away, and then punched the soldiers. More of them filed into the room as Grant looked around.

"One against twelve?" Grant asked as he smiled. "I feel sorry for you guys."

"Where's the component?" one of the soldiers asked. "He can't have it on him, unless it's under the towel."

"Hey, hey! No one's looking at my component, you pervs!" Grant shouted.

"I think... he is the component," the other soldier replied. "Take him down!"

The soldiers rushed forward as Grant started using his powers to keep them at bay while trying to keep his towel from falling off. Several minutes later, Grant was standing over a pile of downed soldiers, trying to catch his breath.

"Is that all you got?" Grant asked as a dart hit his neck, followed by several more along his chest. The tranquilizers quickly overtook him as he fell over, unconscious. The foot solider who shot him emerged from behind the bathroom door.

* * *

Cameron was following Connor, as he tried to get away without revealing he was Superboy.

"Look, kid," Connor said. "I really appreciate your... friendliness, but I really have to go."

It was then that he saw the H.I.V.E.'s foot soldiers carrying a rather large laundry bag out of the dorms. Connor rushed toward them, with Cam following behind.

"Great, more trouble," The foot soldier carrying Grant said as he prepared to pull out his gun.

"Can I help you guys with something?" Connor asked as the foot soldier pulled out his gun and fired, but the bullets didn't even get to Connor's chest before his tactile telekinesis deflected them. Connor looked at them with a pissed off look. "Well, that was a stupid thing to do."

"Run away!" the soldier shouted.

* * *

Robin, Impulse, and Wonder Girl met back up at the science lab.

"Bart, I thought you said there were 21 bombs," Robin said as he looked over at Impulse. "We've got 20 disarmed, where's the last one?"

Impulse looked at the map. "According to this, where we started. In the building those foot soldiers were headed into."

"Then let's hurry before- Hey, isn't that Connor?" Robin asked as he saw the soldier fire his gun at the Teen of Steel.

"Hey, they've got a guy in that laundry bag!" Cam shouted, feeling Grant's powers running through him. "It's Grant!"

"Kidnapping?" Connor asked as he pounded his fists together. "I was going to let the attempt to kill me slide, but now I'm going to have to kick your asses."

Robin, Impulse, and Wonder Girl flew toward the commotion as the foot soldiers prepared to fall back.

"We've got to get out of here," the foot soldier holding Grant said. "Retreat! Back to the Honeycomb Hideout!"

"I think you mean H.I.V.E. Headquarters, don't you?" the other foot soldier asked.

The first soldier stared at him blankly. "You just have no sense of humor at all, do you, Ted?"

The five heroes flew toward them, just as the final bomb went off, blowing the dorm up in a fiery explosion. The teens were thrown back by the explosion as the foot soldiers made their getaway.

"We have to put the fire out!" Robin said as Connor started using his tactile TK to hold back the flames while Impulse created a vortex around the building to suffocate the fire. Wonder Girl opened a fire hydrant and directed the water toward what was left of the fire.

"Connor, what are you doing here?" Wonder Girl asked as she rejoined the others.

"Long and embarrassing story," Connor replied as he looked at Cam. "Who did those guys kidnap?"

"His name was Grant Emerson, he's a teacher's aide," Cam replied. "I felt his powers. He's a meta."

"That was Damage," Robin realized. "Those uniforms...those guys work for the H.I.V.E. What would they want with Damage?"

"Let's find out," Impulse said. He was preparing to rush off as Robin grabbed him by the collar.

"Hold on. We need to know what we're up against," Robin told him. "We don't even know where they're taking him, or how many of those soldiers they have."

"Wait," Connor said as he pulled Omni close. "We've got a tracking device right here. If we can get him close enough, he can feel Grant's power."

"Then let's hurry," Wonder Girl said as she floated in the sky over the teens. "Who knows what they have planned for Grant."

Robin kneeled down and picked up a soil sample with his gloved hand from one of the soldier's boot prints. "Hmm... You guys go on ahead. If you can't find him, then maybe this soil sample will tell us where they've taken him."

"A piece of dirt's going to point us in the right direction?" Superboy asked.

"Exactly," Robin said. "This soil came off of one of those soldiers. It could lead us right to them."

* * *

The foot soldiers had brought Grant to a small boat on a pier, and were getting ready to launch when Impulse zipped by with Omni, who was siphoning his powers.

"He's close," Omni said as he looked around. "On that boat!"

"Those kids again," Larry the head foot soldier said. "We need to take them down before they catch us."

"You think?" Ted asked as the soldiers pulled out their guns and fired.

* * *

Superboy and Wonder Girl were still miles away, searching for the foot soldiers on campus.

"So, how have you been?" Superboy asked as they flew along side by side.

"Good," Wonder Girl replied as an awkward silence filled the air. "I'm almost a full Amazon."

"That's... that's great," Superboy replied, trying to avoid eye contact. "Congratulations."

"What about you?" Wonder Girl asked. "I thought you'd be in college somewhere."

"I'm going to Smallville High," Superboy replied quietly. "I need to get my diploma before a college will accept me. But I've got a best friend now. His name's Kenny. He's pretty cool."

Wonder Girl resisted to ask him if he any female friends. "Sounds like you've got a good life with the Kents."

"They treat me like I'm their real son," Superboy replied. "I've... never had anyone treat me like a real person before. Like I'm not Superboy, but a real human kid. It feels great to be able to act like a real human being once in a while."

The two continued to avoid looking at each as they flew along, finding no signs of Grant or the H.I.V.E. foot soldiers.

* * *

Tim Drake was in the college science lab, examining the soil sample. He focused the microscope a little more closely.

"I think I know where they're taking him," Tim said to himself, not realizing that he was being watched by a raven sitting on the windowsill.

* * *

Impulse avoided the bullets flying toward him as Omni just plucked them out of the air with Bart's speed.

"They're still coming," Ted said as he looked over at Larry.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Larry shouted.

"Alright, just give up now and-" Impulse said as he rushed onto the boat, just as Larry tossed his gun, hitting Impulse in the forehead, knocking him out. Ted looked blankly at Larry.

"Well, I was out of bullets," Larry said innocently as Omni prepared to zip forward, tripping over Impulse and hitting the ground, where the soldiers grabbed him, knocking him unconscious with the butt of the gun "Get rid of them so we can get going."

The soldiers tossed both of the boys overboard and into the water as the boat sped away, with Omni and Impulse sinking beneath the water.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	3. Breaking Into the HIVE

**Titans Forever #3**

 **"Breaking into the H.I.V.E."**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 **Previously: Robin, Impulse, and Wonder Girl found the H.I.V.E.'s Foot Soldiers sneaking around their college campus, and learned their were several bombs planted to keep them distracted. Meanwhile, Superboy and Omni were also on the scene just as the soldiers were planning to take the captured Damage back to their headquarters.**

 **The five teens joined together to rescue him, but Omni and Impulse were knocked unconscious and tossed into the ocean, with Robin, Wonder Girl, and Superboy miles away from the scene...**

Omni and Impulse sank underneath the water, both unconscious from being knocked out by the H.I.V.E.'s Foot Soldiers. Neither had any idea what was going on, or that they would soon be dead. They also didn't realize they were being approached by a mysterious merman with shaggy blue hair, holding a lethal looking trident.

"Land dwellers...," the merman said with a venomous tone as he held his trident to Omni's throat.

* * *

Superboy and Wonder Girl met back up with Robin, who was driving a sleek red and black motorcycle toward the pier. Since Tim couldn't bring the Redbird to California, Bruce had another form of transportation arranged.

"The soil sample is a rare form of plant life that grows on a little island about a hundred miles off the California Coast," Robin said through his secure link to Oracle to the two teens floating above him. "It's a safe bet that's where they're taking Damage."

"But why?" Wonder Girl asked as she flew above Robin's bike. "What does the H.I.V.E. want with Damage?"

"It's a safe bet they're not inviting him over for tea," Superboy replied. "So, let's get out to the island and-"

"Hey, has anyone heard from Impulse and Omni?" Robin interrupted. "They were supposed to check in a while ago."

Wonder Girl looked ahead and saw something on the beach. "Oh my God..."

Superboy flew ahead and found Omni and Impulse lying on the beach, still unconscious. He landed and rolled Impulse over onto his back, checking his pulse. "He's alive."

Wonder Girl gave CPR to Omni to try to revive him. Seconds later, Omni spit up some water as he opened his eyes. He was back in his street clothes, as his costume disappeared soon after he lost consciousness. "Where are we?"

"What happened?" Robin asked as he jumped off the bike, removed his helmet, and headed toward the rest of the group. "Where's Grant?"

"They- they took him away in a boat," Impulse said as he sat up and felt his forehead, which had a small bruise on it. "I don't know what happened, I-"

"They threw an empty gun at you," Omni replied. "And I tripped over you. Some rescuers we turned out to be."

Robin sighed as he stood up. "We have to find that island they took Grant to. Connor, Cam, are you two going with us?"

"What kind of question is that?" Superboy asked as he looked at Robin. "Of course I'm in."

"Me, too," Cameron replied as he stood up. "Grant's my best friend, you know."

* * *

 _The Daily Bruin Office_

"Several meta-human sightings have been made on campus," the reporter said as he talked to the editor in chief of the college's paper. He had reddish blonde hair with a camera around his neck. "Robin, Impulse, Wonder Girl, and Superboy most notably. I think they might be going to this school."

"Hmm," the editor said as he looked over the report. "Get me the full scoop on this. We can turn this paper into something huge if we've got superhuman activity on campus."

"Yes, sir," Andy Morgan said as he headed out the door. Terry Berg sat in his chair and sighed. "I just can't get away from superheroes, can I?"

* * *

 _The H.I.V.E. Headquarters on a small island out in the ocean_

Grant opened his eyes and looked around. He was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, with several wires hooked up to his bare chest. His hands and feet were restrained by metal cylinders, as well as one around his stomach.

"Where am I?" Grant asked weakly. "What's with all the wires?"

"You have been given the honor of being the final component in our power core," the H.I.V.E. technician said as he looked over the equipment. "Soon, you'll supply us with enough energy to power a massive strike force."

"The hell I will," Grant said as he struggled, but it was no use.

"Those restraints were designed especially for you," the technician told him. "This whole device was designed especially for you and your... unique abilities."

"I am so kicking your ass when I get out of this," Grant replied coldly.

"I'm sorry, Grant, but the only way you're getting out of those restraints is when you're energy is depleted, and you're, well... dead," the technician said with a smirk. "But by then, we'll have more than enough power to do fulfill our goal."

"And what goal is that?" Grant asked.

"Global domination."

* * *

"Okay, there's at least a dozen islands out there," Robin said as the Titans stood on the pier. "We just have to find the right one."

"How about the one with the giant honeycomb on it?" Impulse asked as he zipped away and quickly returned. "Unless there are some big ass bees out there that we're not aware of."

"Let's go," Omni said as he followed Impulse as the two ran over the water.

"Need a lift?" Wonder Girl asked Robin.

"Actually, I could use a-," Robin started to say as Superboy gave them both a hurt look and flew off. "We don't have time for this. Let's go."

* * *

Impulse and Omni were the first to arrive on the island, followed by Superboy seconds later. The three looked up at the giant headquarters.

"We're definitely in the right place," Superboy said as Wonder Girl arrived with Robin in her arms. "We just have to figure out how to get in there. Looks like they've got some pretty tight security."

"I think they'll be expecting us," Robin said as he looked around. "We'll need disguises."

Robin grabbed Impulse by the collar before he could run off. "I meant as in the H.I.V.E.'s foot soldier's uniforms."

* * *

"You're forgetting one thing," Grant said as he looked at the technician. "I have to explode to unleash my energy. And I have to get angry before that happens. Not that I'm not right now."

"Oh, but we've already thought about that," the technician said as he pushed a button, causing a stern plastic shield to trap Grant inside the machine. "Why do you think those wires are attached to you?"

A thousand volts of electricity were sent shooting through Grant's body as he screamed in pain.

* * *

Outside, the teens had knocked out several guards and taken their uniforms to sneak into the Headquarters.

"We just have to find Grant and get the hell out of here," Robin said as he led the group toward the entrance. "We can't risk a full attack just yet. We don't know what these guys are capable of."

As soon as Robin stepped through the doorway, alarms started sounding.

 _"DNA not recognized. INTRUDER!"_ the computerized voice said. Two dozen armed soldiers came filing out of several doors, ready to greet them.

"These guys are good," Superboy said as he threw off the uniform, followed by the rest of the team. "Oh well, I was looking for a major smackdown."

Impulse looked over at Cam, who was down to his boxers. "Dude, you were supposed to keep your clothes on UNDER the uniform."

"Now you tell me," Cameron said sarcastically as he concentrated and his blue and gold costume appeared over his body. "That's better."

The soldiers and the teens rushed forward into battle as the H.I.V.E. mistress watched from the monitor.

"They're too late." The mistress smirked as she watched Grant's body be drained of his energy as he finally exploded behind the plastic barrier, the nuclear energy being collected into a storage unit. "Keep going, I don't think he's had enough yet."

Robin whacked a soldier with his bo staff, and sweep kicked another, knocking him to the ground; Wonder Girl flew forward and punched one of the soldiers back against the wall; Superboy collided two of the soldiers against each other; Impulse sped by, delivering superspeed punches on several soldiers at once; Omni was using a combination of Impulse's speed and Superboy's strength to take down a group of soldiers that had surrounded him.

"We have to get inside!" Robin shouted as he used his staff and vaulted over two soldiers, then used the staff to knock them both out.

Wonder Girl punched several soldiers out of the way as she followed Robin inside, followed by Superboy, Omni, and Impulse.

The five teens rushed around, looking for any sign of Grant.

"Impulse, run ahead and-" Robin said as Impulse zipped away, but didn't immediately come back. After a few seconds he looked at the others. "They got him."

"How can you tell?" Omni asked. "Maybe I should-"

Robin stopped him. "It would have taken less than a blink of an eye to find Grant and report back. They're expecting us."

Omni looked around, and suddenly realized that he could see through the ceiling. "They're right above us."

"How did you-" Superboy asked before realizing. "Aw, no fair, he gets to use my x-ray vision and I don't? That sucks!"

"Let's take the direct route," Wonder Girl said to Superboy as they grabbed Robin and Omni and flew through the ceiling, breaking through the second floor, finding Grant trapped in the core, and Impulse unconscious on the floor in front of them with a dart in his neck.

"What happened?" Omni asked as he was caught by Robin and pulled back before a dart could hit him. Several more darts shot through the wall, but Superboy used his tactile telekinesis to deflect them from the team. The darts stopped coming as Superboy lowered his TK shield.

"Bravo," the H.I.V.E. mistress said as she clapped. "Four out of six made it all the way. That's more than what I was expecting."

"We're taking our friends and getting the hell out of here," Superboy said as he flew toward the core.

"I wouldn't do that," the mistress said. "He's getting to ready to explode again. That shield is the only thing protecting all of us from being blown to bits."

"You're insane," Robin said as he held his bo staff out in a defensive pose. "What are you doing to him?"

"I'm collecting his energy," the mistress told him. "It's all going into our nuclear core. Soon we'll have more than enough energy to power an army massive enough to take control of every nation."

"And what about the JLA, the JSA, and the Reservists?" Wonder Girl asked. "Not to mention every meta in the free world?"

"I'm so glad you asked," the mistress said as several troops rushed in. "Meet my new super charged soldiers, courtesy of Grant."

"More of your tin soldiers?" Robin asked. "Let's take these guys down before-"

The mistress pushed a button as the chest plates and guns in the soldier's hands lit up in a neon glow. They fired at Superboy and hit him before he could fly forward, causing him to yell in pain as his smoking body hit the ground.

"And that was on low power," the mistress told them. "On full power, what you just saw would be the effect on Superman or Captain Marvel. On someone like Batman or Robin, you'd be nothing more than a charred husk."

The soldiers surrounded them, ready to fire their guns. "I have thousands of soldiers in every major nation, thanks to my silent partner. Once the core is up and running, we'll launch a worldwide attack. We'll be unstoppable. Too bad you won't be around to stop it."

"My Queen, I've seen these kids," the technician said as he looked at Omni. "That one draws power from any meta he's near. We can double the output if we use him along with Damage."

"Good thinking," the mistress said with a smile. "As for the rest of them, lock them in the core with their friends. They can die in the next explosion."

The soldiers armed their guns and fired again on a lower setting, knocking Wonder Girl and Omni unconscious. Robin leapt out of the way as the soldiers continued firing. The Boy Wonder leapt back down the hole he came in through.

"He won't get far," the H.I.V.E. mistress said as the guards picked up Wonder Girl, Impulse, Superboy, and Omni, whose costume was disappearing without his concentration to maintain it. "Sound the alarm, I want him killed on sight."

The guards were put on alert and marched down the halls, unaware that Robin was hanging from the ceiling above them.

* * *

Wonder Girl, Superboy and Impulse woke up, chained to the wall in the small chamber where Grant was. Omni was now in similar restraints next to Grant, with wires attached to his chest as well.

"These restraints, it's like they know our powers," Superboy said as he struggled. "I can't break free."

"And I can't vibrate," Impulse said, still weak from the drugs that knocked him out. "Is it safe to say we're screwed now?"

"No, I'd say we have about five more minutes before we can use that term," Superboy replied. "At least Robin's still out there."

A series of blasts was heard from outside. The Titans watched as the guards brought in Robin's singed cape and boots.

"This is all that was left of him," the guard said. "Didn't even put up much of a fight."

"No," Wonder Girl said as a tear fell down her cheek. Superboy remained emotionless as Impulse closed his eyes and tried not to believe it.

 **To Be Continued...**


	4. Chapter 4: The Fourth Issue: Part 4

**Teen Titans #4**

 **"The Obligatory Team Comes Together to Save the Day Issue"**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 **Previously, the H.I.V.E. had Grant Emerson captured and brought to their headquarters, as he was the final component of their nuclear reactor. Luckily, Robin, Impulse, Superboy, Wonder Girl and Omni figured out where he was and broke into the H.I.V.E. Headquarters to save him. But the H.I.V.E. Mistress unveiled her plans for Damage, intending to use his powers to charge her energy core to power an army large enough to take over the free world.**

 **The teens were soon subdued, with the exception of Robin, and now they're all trapped in the core, where both Damage and Omni are being prepped to charge the core, with Superboy, Wonder Girl and Impulse at ground zero...**

"What the hell is that?" the fisherman asked.

"I don't know," his fishing partner replied as they looked over what looked like a teenage boy. At least the top half did; from the waist down he had scales and fins.

"It's one of those mermaid things," the fisherman said. They didn't notice that the creature's tail was starting to move.

"It's a boy mermaid," his partner said. "Wonder how much a freak show would pay for this."

Suddenly, the tail struck and knocked the fisherman overboard. Before his partner could react, the tail swung back around and knocked the man over, hitting his head on the deck.

"Land dwellers," the boy said as he jumped back into the water and swam for the shore.

* * *

 _H.I.V.E. Headquarters - Ten Minutes Ago_

Robin leapt into the air and did a double kick, knocking two of the H.I.V.E. guards to the ground. He did a sweeping motion to take out another one before more rounded the corner.

Robin was the only hope to rescue his friends from the fate that was waiting for them when Damage went nuclear again. He couldn't let them down, not after the last time the group was together. The H.I.V.E. guards opened fire as Robin ducked into a supply closet.

"I'll get him," one of the guards said as he walked into the room, where the sound of rapid gunfire was heard. Seconds later, the guard walked out, holding Robin's cape and boots. "He won't be coming out."

* * *

 _Now_

"I guess this is it," Superboy said, weakened from the kryptonite that was chaining him to the wall. "Robin's gone and we're trapped in this machine."

"At least we're going out together," Impulse replied, dazed from the tranquilizers that were given to him.

"Yeah," Wonder Girl said as she looked over at Superboy. "Connor, I- I know things have been rough between us since-"

"It's in the past," Superboy replied as he stared down at the floor. "Let's not die bitter, alright? I forgive you."

"Wait- You forgive ME?" Wonder Girl asked angrily.

"Uh oh," Impulse said.

* * *

Omni was strapped into the device next to Grant, tapping into the powers around him. He knew this was the end and felt calm about it, almost serene. Then he remembered that he forgot to TIVO the 'My Name is Earl' marathon and instantly grew angry.

Omni's eyes began to glow a bright red as a burst of heat vision shot forward, shattering the plastic shielding holding the Titans inside the core.

"You've got your nerve, this whole mess started with you!" Wonder Girl said.

"Well, maybe if you hadn't been making googly eyes at-" Superboy stopped as he saw what Omni had done. "Wait, HE gets heat vision? NO FAIR!"

"They're escaping!" one of the guards shouted as he hit the alarm.

Omni directed his heat vision toward his restraints, then after freeing himself, he freed Grant, who rubbed his sore wrists. Grant looked at Omni. "Free the others."

Grant stepped outside of the chamber and cracked his knuckles. He was shirtless and barefoot, wearing just a pair of gray sweatpants, where as the twelve armed guards had full body armor, helmets and laser rifles.

"Put your hands up!" the head guard shouted as Grant just looked at him, his anger growing.

Omni freed Impulse, Wonder Girl and Superboy. Impulse and Omni put Superboy's arms around their shoulders as he was still weakened from the kryptonite.

"We'd better help Grant before-" Wonder Girl started to say as she took to the air, only to see twelve fully armed guards lying around the room, all of them having been taken out. Grant tilted his neck to crack it.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Grant said as the H.I.V.E. Mistress started laughing from her chair.

"Leave? Stupid children," the H.I.V.E. Mistress said as she looked at the teens. "You may have destroyed the chamber-"

"No, we ddin't," Omni quickly replied.

"Oh, well, I expected you to," the Queen said before getting back on track. "Anyway, I have more than enough power to carry out my plans. All I have to do is push this button!"

The Queen pushed it before any of the teens could reach her, but nothing happened. She pushed it again, and once more.

"Let me do it," Omni said as he pushed her out of the way and repeatedly pushed the button with Impulse's super speed.

"OMNI!" everyone shouted.

"What?"

"It's not going to work," the H.I.V.E. Guard said as he removed his helmet, revealing Robin's masked face. "I pulled the plug."

"You're alive!" Impulse shouted as he hugged Robin, almost knocking him over.

"How did you do it?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Did you remove a highly dangerous substance that was powering it?" Impulse asked.

"Did you take out the radioactive battery, almost dying?" Superboy hopefully asked.

"Did you call Oracle and have her talk you through a complicated process?" Grant asked.

"No, I told you, I pulled the plug," Robin said as he held up a cord. He saw the Queen trying to escape and tossed a bolo at her, trapping her before she could escape.

"Well, that takes care of the H.I.V.E.," Superboy said as the Queen started laughing.

"Hardly," the Queen told them. "You can never defeat the H.I.V.E."

She managed to pull a small button from her pocket and pressed it, causing the entire island to start shaking.

"She's set off the self destruct!" Robin realized. "We've got to get out of here."

Before he could grab her, the Queen fell through a secret door on the wall, which closed before they stop her.

"Come on, let's go!" Wonder Girl shouted. She picked up Grant as Impulse picked up Robin as they raced off the island. Superboy and Omni, mimicking his powers, followed as the island exploded behind them.

* * *

Ted and Larry were in a lifeboat watching as the island was decimated.

"I guess this means we're out of a job," Ted realized as he looked at his partner.

"I hear Kobra's hiring," Larry replied as they started rowing.

* * *

The six teens had gotten back into their civilian clothes and were sitting at a local cafe.

"Well, that was fun," Bart said as he sipped his soda. "I missed hanging out with you guys."

"Yeah, it did seem like old times," Connor replied with a sigh. "I just wish I could be going to college with you guys."

"You know, all of us are over 18 now," Tim told them as he looked around. "Technically the Justice League has no hold over us anymore. We can be a team again."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Cassie said as she stared down at the table. "Remember what broke us up in the first place? Reviving Young Justice isn't something I want to do."

"No, not Young Justice," Damage told her. "The Titans. If you guys would have me, I'd love to join."

"Me too!" Cameron quickly added. "Can I join? Please?"

"I don't like it, either," Connor said as he looked at Cassie. "There's too many... bad memories."

"Yeah, besides, where would we find time to fight crime?" Bart asked. "Between college and our social lives."

"Social life?" Connor asked. "Bart, do you have a girlfriend?"

"No," Bart said, staring out the window. "But there's something you guys need to know-"

"Connor's still in high school, which means he wouldn't be around that much," Tim interrupted. "You and Cassie wouldn't see that much of each other. And Bart, we need a speedster. Besides, it wouldn't be the same without you."

"So, what are we now? The Titans?" Cassie asked.

"Sounds good to me," Tim replied as he looked at the group. "The Titans."

Meanwhile, a raven was sitting at the window, watching them...

* * *

 _Elsewhere_

A young man, wearing a beanie hat that covered his ears, was walking with his identical twin sister as they approached a small armored truck. Her hair was hanging down over her ears, covering them as well. They were dressed in black and purple spandex and had a small monkey with them. They removed a glove from their hands and touched them together.

The driver of the truck saw them approach in the side view mirror. He turned his head, and when he looked out the window. The girl was gone, replaced by a grizzly bear, which swiped at the man, knocking him unconscious.

The young man's body began to melt into an acid, melting the door on the truck. The grizzly bear pulled the remains of the door off as the twins reverted back to their true form, stealing the contents of the truck before rushing off.

They ran into alley, carrying several pieces of electronic equipment, laughing as they did. The girl brushed her hair back as the boy took off his beanie, both revealing pointed ears.

"Phase 1 is complete," Jayna said as the monkey hollered on her shoulder.


	5. Damnation of Motor Vehicles

**Teen Titans #5**

 **"Damnation of Motor Vehicles"**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 _My name is Bart Allen and I'm IMPULSE, the fastest man alive... next to the Flash. But that'll change someday. Uncle Jay says that I'm already surpassing Wally in a lot of ways. I can remember everything I read, which no other speedster can do, and I can pass through solid objects without blowing the shit out of them._

 _Not that I'm bragging, of course. Oh, hell, who am I kidding? I LOVE being better than Wally!_

Bart arrived outside of the Garrick home and walked through the front door. "Uncle Jay?"

"There he is," Jay Garrick said as he sat in the living room with a newspaper in hand. "How's the college man?"

"Pretty good," Bart replied as he sat down. "I was just kind of homesick."

"You know you're always welcome here," Jay told him, seeing a look of concern on Bart's face. "Is there something on your mind, son?"

"Actually...," Bart said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I know it's awkward but I need your advice on relationships."

"JOAN!" Jay shouted, knowing where this conversation was leading.

* * *

 _Grant Emerson, the hero known as Damage. He has the power to detonate his body with massive force, as well as a variety of untapped powers from various Justice Leaguer's DNA. The potential to be the most powerful hero in the world is on his shoulders._

 _Too bad he's stuck grading papers as the Teacher's Aide on the UCLA campus._

"You're still here?" Mr. Tooley asked as he walked in with a cup of coffee for Grant. "You know, you are allowed to have a life outside of this class."

"I know," Grant said as he continued looking over the papers. "I've just never been a very social person."

"The first vacation of the semester's coming up," Tooley told him. "You're not going to have an excuse to be here. What are you going to do, hang out in your dorm room?"

"Actually, the dorm I was staying in caught fire*," Grant told him. "All the dorms filled up pretty quick and with the lack of space...I've been sleeping in my car."

 _* Titans Forever #2- TC_

"My #1 TA shouldn't be sleeping in a car," Tooley told him. "I happen to know of one student who's looking for a roommate. For some reason no one wants to room with him, but he seems like a reasonably bright person."

"Oh, no," Grant said as he realized who the man was referring to. "Not-"

* * *

 _Cameron Weinberg, the hero known as Omni. An alien with the power to copy and use the powers of anyone he comes in contact with…and also one majorly nutty college student._

Cameron poured the water over the potted plant sitting on his windowsill.

"There you go, Chloe," Cameron said to the plant. "How's my sister doing today?"

The potted plant remained lifeless and still as Cameron kissed one of the leaves. "College? It's going great. I just wish I could make at least one friend who wanted to hang out with me. Everyone seems to always want to avoid me."

A knock came at the door at Cameron leapt up in anticipation. "A VISITOR!"

Cameron flew toward the door and opened it, seeing Grant standing there with two bags at his feet.

"I-I heard you needed a roommate," Grant quietly said as Cameron pulled him into a hug. Actually, it was more of the fact that his car had been towed that led him to his decision.

"I was hoping you'd show up," Cameron told him as Grant immediately regretted his decision. "I've got your room ready."

Cameron quickly shoved the card for the car towing service in his pocket when Grant wasn't looking before taking him to his new room.

* * *

 _Tim Drake, a.k.a. Robin. No longer a mere sidekick to the Batman, he's grown over the years into his own hero, now flying solo on the campus of UCLA. Today he faces a danger much more threatening than the Joker himself._

"I'm here to get a new license," Tim said to the clerk at the DMV.

Tim had made the mistake of letting Bart see what his driver's license looked like, since Bart had never seen one. He had never seen a license be so mutilated when Bart lost his focus and went chasing after a chupacabra, which then turned out to be Rosie O'Donnell.

"I need to see three forms if ID," the man said. He was wearing a red and black striped shirt and had a goatee. The nameplate on the desk read 'F. Krueger'.

"All I have is my student ID," Tim told him as he dug through his pockets.

"THREE forms of ID," the man told him in a cold voice. "Be gone with you!"

He pushed a button under the table, and opened a trap door under Tim. Another door opened in the ceiling at the very end of the line dropping Tim at the end of a very long customer line. He rubbed his sore behind and headed out to find two more pieces of ID.

* * *

 _Cassie Sandsmark, Wonder Girl to the rest of the world. An amazon in training, and apprentice to Wonder Woman. Also currently attending UCLA with her friends._

Cissie King Jones fired her arrows at Cassie, who held up her bracelets and blocked all of them as the girl fired off rapid shots at her best friend.

"Thanks for helping me with my training," Cassie said as Cissie, the former heroine known as Arrowette, fired the last arrow.

"No problem," Cissie replied. "So, I heard the old gang's getting back together."

"Yeah," Cassie replied as she took a drink of lemonade. "Me, Tim, Connor, Bart, Damage and Omni."

"No Empress or Secret?" Cissie asked.

"Nobody's seen Secret since Young Justice broke up," Cassie replied with a sigh. "And Anita's training to go into 'the business' with her father. But what about you? Ever think about putting the costume back on again?"

* * *

 _Connor Kent. Superboy. The Teen of Steel with an ego to match. Born with the powers of a Superman and the personality of James Dean, the younger clone of Superman doesn't attend college with his Titans teammates. Instead he focuses on his high school studies in Smallville._

Connor was staring at the naked, airbrushed form of the playmate of the month, which was blocking his view of his history book. He was sitting on his bed, as his best friend Kenny Klutter sat on the floor next to him.

"Alright, we need to go over this material one more time," Kenny said as he looked up at Connor. "Wow, I had no idea you loved history so much."

"You have no idea," Connor replied as he fixated on the large breasts of the blonde in front of him.

"Hey!" Kenny said as he pulled the magazine away from his friend. "We're supposed to be studying here. Your semester grades depend on this test."

Kenny flipped the page, finding the pages stuck together. He looked at Connor with a disgusted look.

"I spilled grape jelly on it," Connor told him. "And what are you so worried about? You're a straight A student."

"And you're not," Kenny told him. "Was this green grape jelly? Anyway look, you're my best pal. My only pal, actually. I don't want to move onto college without my best friend. Before I met you, I figured I'd just go to college and study and become like the next Bill Gates or something. Since I met you, I realized how much fun I could be having and I don't want to go through frat parties and keggars and sneaking into Girls Gone Wild shoots without my best friend there with me."

"Since you put it that way," Connor replied as he picked up his book.

* * *

"So, you've been having... feelings for this person?" Joan asked as she brought a tray of tea out.

"Not just feelings," Bart said as he started pouring sugar into the cup. "I-I think it may be love."

"Bart, you know ever since we took you in, we've been doing our best to try bring you up the best we could," Jay told him. "And I'm very proud of the fact that you came to us about this. Have you been-"

Bart stopped pouring the sugar for a second and blushed. "Uncle Jay, that's kind of personal, but...no. Don't worry, I'm still a virgin."

"And when do we get to meet to this special person in your life?" Joan asked.

"Actually, you already have," Bart replied as he went back to pouring sugar into his tea. "You're not going to believe it, but the person I've been seeing is-"

* * *

Grant was taking a shower, scrubbing down his body when he felt something on his back. His eyes widened as he turned and saw a brush on his back, being held by Cameron, who was fully clothed. Grant screamed and jumped back, pulling the shower curtain over his lower half.

"What are you doing in here!?"

"I made you some lunch," Cameron told him as held up a tray of food. "Hope you're hungry."

"Get out of here!" Grant shouted as he threw Cam out of the bathroom.

* * *

After two hours, Tim finally made his way back to the front of the line.

"Alright, I've got three forms of ID," Tim began, "and then some. Here's my student ID, my credit card, my high school diploma, my birth certificate and a picture of me at a Spice Girls concert."

"Yes, that's all fine and good," the clerk told him, "but what I REALLY need to see is yourUSA Network Kid's Club card!"

"I don't have one of those," Tim told him. "That's even ridiculous that you'd ask for that. The USA Network Kid's Club hasn't existed since the mid-90's."

"To the back of the line with you!" the clerk shouted.

"No way!" Tim told him. "That's unfair!"

"Unfair?" the clerk said as he stood up, his voice cold, dark and echoing. He put on a battered old brown hat. "This is the DMV, boy, God's ORIGINAL plan for hell. Long lines, rude clerks and no hope of ever leaving…you must suffer like ALL my children must suffer!"

The clerk laughed manically as he pushed a button under the desk as several flame geysers shot up behind him. "Welcome to hell! Welcome to the D! M! V! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA"

The clerk pushed another button and sent Tim riding on a conveyor belt to the back of the line.

* * *

"Honestly, no," Cissie told her as drank a cup of lemonade. "Being a superhero was never right for me. My mother pressured me into it to relive her glory days, then when my teacher got killed and I snapped...I don't think I'll ever put the Arrowette costume on again."

"Just remember that you've still got your friends here for you," Cassie said as she stood up. "Ready to go another round?"

"Sure," Cissie told her as she picked up her bow. "So, when do you finish with this Amazon training?"

"Soon, I hope," Cassie replied as she watched Arrowette load up her arrows. "I just hope I do Diana proud."

* * *

Two teenage boys were fishing on a pier, their legs dangling over the water. They both had a few fish apiece already, ready to be taken home and prepared to eat.

"Hey, what's that?" the first boy asked as he saw something float up to the surface. It looked like a hundred dollar bill.

"It's a hundred bucks!" the second boy shouted as another bill floated up. They both reached down to grab the money and as soon as their hands were on the bills, they were both yanked under, having taking the bait like two fish to a worm.

Fifteen minutes later, both washed up on the shore of the beach, naked with their hands and feet bound with the fishing wire of their broken poles.

A shadow under the water, in the form of a teenage merman, swam away, having avenged the murders of his scaled friends.

* * *

"Just tell them how you feel," Joan told Bart as she sat next to Jay. "As long as you love them and they love you, it will be fine."

"I'm not sure what it is," Bart told them. "I just know that I really like hanging out with them. I haven't felt like this about someone since Carol."

"How is she doing?" Joan asked. "She seemed like such a nice girl."

"She's...engaged," Bart told them. "After we broke up, she started dating another guy. He proposed after graduation."

"And you're alright with this?" Jay asked in shock.

"No," Bart told him. "I'm always going to love Carol, but with my lifestyle...I wasn't being fair to her. She deserves a guy who'll love her with everything he has. I wish I could, but-"

"I understand," Jay replied with a sigh. "Just be sure that this is what you really want. For once in your life, think about a situation before you jump into it."

* * *

"Did I pass?" the teenage boy asked as he looked hopefully at the clerk.

"Yes," the clerk replied with an evil grin. "You passed the test...to get into hell!"

He pushed a button on the desk, but before the boy could fall through, Tim leaped forward and grabbed him.

"I'm here for my driver's license," Tim told the man, "and I'm not leaving without it."

The clerk laughed as he brushed Tim off and stood up. "Then let's go."

The clerk jumped up on top of the desk and jumped to the floor. Tim dove toward him and delivered blow after blow as the clerk just laughed at him. After several punches, Tim backed off. The clerk smirked as he backhanded Tim, sending him flying across the floor.

"Come on, little man," the clerk said as he stomped toward Tim. "You've got the car, I've got the license. Come on!"

Tim stood up and kicked the clerk in the midsection before doing another spin kick to knock the clerk off balance, knocking him behind a row of chairs. He carefully approached, not sure of what to expect. He found the clerk gone as he looked behind the chairs, which was when he felt the clerk grab him.

"You think you've got what it takes?" the clerk whispered as held Tim by the shoulders. "I've been denying licenses for a long time, bitch!" With that, the clerk tossed Tim across the room and against the wall.

* * *

Zan was sitting in the living room of the small two-bedroom apartment he shared with his twin sister Jayna, lifting a weight in his right hand. A small monkey was sitting on the table, watching him while eating a piece of fruit.

Jayna walked in with a newspaper in her hand. "There's another electronics shipment coming in. It might have the final pieces we need for the device. I still don't feel right about this, though."

"Jayna, we have to do this," Zan told her. "Ever since we came to this planet, I've seen how miserable you are. I'm going to get you home, I swear."

"And what about you?" Jayna asked. "I don't want to go to Exor without you."

"You know why I can't go back," Zan told her as he put the weight down. "But you can still go home. All you have to do is tell them I'm dead and they'll welcome you home with open arms."

"I'm going to miss you, little brother," Jayna said as she sat down on the couch.

"And I'll miss you, too," Zan said with a sigh. "But it's the way it has to be. You belong on Exor with our family. I don't belong anywhere."

* * *

Bart sighed as he watched his ex-girlfriend Carol from across the park. She was laughing and having a good time with her fiancée. She looked so happy. Happier than she'd ever been with him, which was his fault.

Bart loved Carol with all his heart, he truly did. But there was a part of him that he knew she'd never accept. He knew it wasn't fair to her, or their relationship. He let a single tear fall before he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

* * *

"This isn't going to work," Grant said as he talked to Mr. Tooley in the classroom. "Cam is driving me insane. He TUCKED ME IN last night."

"Grant, Cameron's a good kid," Tooley told him. "He just needs a friend."

"He needs valium," Grant replied.

"Grant, I think you need to see this," Tooley said as he handed Grant a paper. "From the English Lit Professor."

"It's an essay on me," Grant said. " _'My Best Friend'_ by Cameron Weinberg."

Grant read through the paper, detailing his past growing up in the D.E.O. base and how Grant was his first true friend. "I never knew how lonely the guy was growing up."

"You're probably the first real friend he's ever had," Tooley said. "I know he can be...distracting."

"Distracting? The kid talks to plants," Grant replied.

"Just give him some time," Tooley replied. "Just look out for him, alright?"

Grant just sighed. "Fine. One more chance."

Grant left the room as Tooley sat back in his chair. He opened his desk drawer and looked down at the D.E.O. I.D. badge looking back up at him. "Don't worry, Grant. You won't have to watch over him long."

* * *

 _ **The Justice League Watchtower**_

"We have no jurisdiction over them anymore," Flash said as he looked at the members of the Justice League. "They're not kids anymore."

"Are you honestly saying that we sit back and do nothing?" Aquaman asked as he crossed his arms. "Remember what happened on Young Justice's last mission?"

"Wally's right," Batman said as he sat back and folded his hands together on the table. "It's been two years. Let's see how they handle themselves after all this time apart. Robin and Wonder Girl have both grown since then, and Damage has been responsible enough with his powers."

"But you're forgetting about Bart, Connor and this Cameron kid," Green Lantern replied.

"Bart's grown up a lot from what I've seen," Flash replied. "Although his decision making skills leave a lot to be desired."

"And Connor's-," Superman started to say. "I'm sure Robin, Wonder Girl and Damage will keep an eye on them."

* * *

The clerk laughed as he came forward toward Tim, who was laying on the ground. Tim sat up and rubbed his sore shoulder and looked around for anything to fight with. He saw the camera used to take license pictures and jumped up and grabbed it, flashing the bulb in the clerk's face, blinding him. The clerk stumbled around and backed into the license printer, releasing every license he'd ever denied.

"No! My souls!" the clerk shouted as the people started running in to reclaim their lost licenses.

Tim delivered the final punch to take the clerk out. He picked up his renewed license and looked at the unconscious man. As he walked away, the man's eyes shot open.

* * *

Grant returned home and found Cameron making waffles.

"I made you some waffles," Cameron proudly told him.

"Well, I do like waffles," Grant said as he saw the large stack sitting on the table. "Look, Cam, we have to talk."

"You're moving out, aren't you?" Cam asked with sadness in his voice as he stopped mixing the batter.

"No," Grant told him as he sat down. "But I think we need to define something I like to call 'personal space'."

Cameron smiled as he went back to baking for his best friend.

* * *

Bart returned home and found his roommate sitting on the couch, reading _'Alas, Babylon'_.

"Your cousin Wally called," Cody told him without looking up. "Says he needs to talk to you about your after school activities. I didn't tell him that I knew about the Titans."

"Good, because I was going to wait to tell him," Bart said as he sat down next to Cody.

"You saw Carol, didn't you?" Cody asked as he put his book down and noticed the sad expression on Bart's face. "Dude, you've got to stop beating yourself up over this."

"I know," Bart told him. "It's just...she's so much happier now than she was when she was with me. Why is that?"

"I doubt she is," Cody said as he looked over at Bart. "I know she meant a lot to you, man. And you were completely honest with her about everything. That takes a lot of balls to break up with your girlfriend to keep from hurting her."

"She broke up with me," Bart whispered. "I know I told everyone I broke things off...but she left me. She couldn't handle being with a guy who-who's-"

"How many times do I have to tell you? Bi-sexual is not a dirty word, Bart," Cody told him. He felt bad for Bart and moved closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Hey, it's her loss. She gave up a really great guy."

Cody leaned in and pressed his lips against Bart's to make him feel better. "Lucky for me, right?"

"Lucky for both of us," Bart started to smile a little as he looked into Cody's eyes. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I hope so," Cody said as he stared back at Bart.

"Good," Bart replied. "Race you to the arcade. A few rounds of Dance Dance Revolution should lift my spirits."

Bart rushed out the door as Cody laughed before standing up and grabbing his jacket. "Good old Bart."


	6. Splash, Part 1

**Teen Titans #6**

 **"Splash, Part 1"**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

The hooded man stood over the swamp holding a small pouch in his hands. He reached in and pulled out a handful of dust, tossing it into the swamp. He started chanting in Latin, summoning the monster under the water. After a few moments of silence, a bubbling was heard as large pale creature in a tattered business suit stood towering over the man.

"Who interrupts Solomon Grundy's sleep!" the monstrous man shouted as he yawned and stretched after months of sleep.

"I do," the man said as he lowered his hood. Felix Faust looked up at the zombie standing over him. "I have called for you, Solomon Grundy, because I require your assistance."

"And what in it for Solomon Grundy?" the hulking creature asked in a southern accent.

"What do you require?" Felix asked. "Name your price, my friend."

"Solomon Grundy not know what to ask for yet," he simply replied.

"Then help me now and I'll give you whatever it is your cold, unbeating heart desires when you do think of it," Felix replied. "Do we have a deal?"

"Deal," Solomon Grundy replied.

* * *

Cam was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing his teeth while Grant was working out on the living room floor, while the radio was turned on playing The Thompson Twins 'Hold Me Now'. Grant was doing sit ups to the music, as Cam spit into the sink and walked into the living room.

"Bathroom's all yours," Cam said as Grant looked up at him.

"Tell me you cleaned out the sink after you brushed," Grant told him. "Dried toothpaste gunk disgusts me."

"It's clean, dude," Cam told him.

"Don't call me dude."

"Sorry, Cap'n Winky."

Janet Jackson's 'Escapade' came on as Grant turned it up. "I love this song."

"Me, too," Cam said as the two started singing along with the song.

 _Come on baby, let's get away. Save our troubles for another day. Come on, baby, just you and me._

"Let me take you to the Ice Capades," Cameron sang.

Grant stopped singing and looked at Cam with a horrified look on his face. "... It's 'Escapade', Cam."

"Really?" Cam asked. "It makes more sense with Ice Capades, though. I mean, why would she be singing about a car?"

Grant smacked his forehead and just simply walked away to take some aspirin. He found himself going through a lot of them since he moved in with Cameron.

* * *

Bart was sitting on Tim's bed in a red t-shirt, red and white shorts, and flip-flops, waiting for Tim to get out of the shower. He put a Taylor Swift CD into the CD player and played her latest song, an innocent melody. After a few lyrics, he hit reverse.

 _"Your mother sucks cocks in hell! The Dark Lord will rise and consume your immortal souls!"_

"What are you doing with my CDs?" Tim asked, just having got out of the shower. Bart was playing with the CD player, waiting for Tim to get ready to go to beach bonfire.

"I'm playing them backwards," Bart said as he pulled out a B Hyphen CD. "I heard there's satanic messages if you play certain CDs backward, I was just curious."

Tim sighed as he headed to his closet. "That's just a rumor, Bart, there's no truth to it."

Bart put the CD into the player and played Kelen Conley's #1 hit 'I'm Gonna Piss On You'. Then he hit reverse and the 'My Little Pony' theme song began to play.

"That- that was weird," Tim said as he pulled a black tank top on. He grabbed a pair of green shorts and headed into the bathroom. "So, is Connor coming to this party?"

"Dude, it's Connor," Bart said with a laugh. "Breasts are like a magnet for him. He'll be where ever there are girls in bikinis."

"Did someone say bikinis?" Connor asked as his head appeared outside of the window. He flew in, dressed in blue shorts, sneakers and an 'Eat Salmon, The Other Pink Meat' t-shirt.

"You do know this is a college party, right?" Cassie asked as she came in wearing a midriff baring pink t-shirt, Daisy Duke shorts and sandals.

"Hey, I'd be in college right now if I'd, you know, gone to school with the rest of you," Connor told them. "No one ever said I'd need a high school diploma to party at college."

"Let's get going," Tim said as put on his sunglasses. "Party should be started by the time we get there."

Bart put a CD from the 80's band the Human League in and played it backwards.

 _"Please buy our album!"_

"We have to swing by my dorm room and get Cody," Bart told them as he stood up and put Tim's CD's away. He exchanged glances with Tim, who knew that Bart was bringing him along as a date.

* * *

 _Sonova Beach_

"Be sure to get plenty of pictures," Terry Berg said as he took a drink from the beer bottle in his hands. He was in a green tank top and black shorts as he looked around the party. His #1 reporter for the college paper, Andy Morgan, wearing an open red button down shirt and blue jean shorts, was snapping pictures.

"So, do you think the Teen Titans are here?" Andy asked as he looked around.

"Over the last few weeks, Robin, Wonder Girl and Impulse have all been spotted around the campus," Terry replied as he pulled a notepad out of his back pocket to take a few notes. "I'm guessing that they're all attending UCLA as students, or something big's going down and they're undercover. Either way, there's a story here or my name isn't Terrence Phillip Berg."

Andy snickered as Terry looked over at him. "I was named before that show became popular, thank you."

The group arrived and looked around. Connor noticed the group of bikini clad beauties playing volleyball and dropped to his knees.

"I've died and gone to heaven," Connor said as he wiped a tear away.

"Who wants a beer?" Bart asked as Tim grabbed him by his shirt. "What? It is a party, we're expected to drink."

"Yeah, Tim, don't be such a pussy," Connor said as he stood up and Tim grabbed his shirt as well.

"You're still in high school," Tim told Connor. "And I'm afraid of what a speedster would do under the influence."

"Relax," Bart told him as he pulled away. "Even if I did manage to get drunk, my body would burn through the buzz almost immediately. High speed metabolism rocks."

Bart zipped off as Cassie headed after to keep an eye on him. Tim looked over and Connor had slipped out of his shirt and was headed toward the girls playing volleyball.

"Alright, ladies, who's up for topless volleyball?"

Tim sighed as he went to mingle with the party goers.

* * *

"So, what do you want to do?" Cam asked as he arrived with Grant. Cam was wearing a yellow tank top and blue and gold shorts. "Want to eat? Drink? Swim? Play? Run? Walk? Build sandcastles?"

Grant covered Cam's mouth as he stepped out of the car, in a maroon t-shirt and blue jean shorts. "I think I'll just hang in the background and-stop licking my hand you jackass!"

Grant pulled his hand away and wiped it on his pants.

* * *

Far down the beach, Solomon Grundy began to wade into the water to complete his first task. He was to gather fish scales for Felix Faust's spell. He went beneath the water and started grabbing fish as they swam by, shoving them into his burlap sack.

A blonde teenage merman was not far away and sensed a disturbance. He saw the large pale zombie shoving his friends into a sack and pulled out his makeshift trident, swimming toward Grundy quickly.

"Who do you think you are?" Seren said as he pointed his trident at Grundy. "Release those fish or pay the price."

Grundy grabbed the trident and twirled Seren around, sending him flying through the current before returning to his task.

* * *

Bart was taking a drink from the beer can in his hand as someone tapped his shoulder. Bart turned and saw Cody standing there in an orange t-shirt and green trunks.

"I was starting to think you weren't coming," Bart told him. "We came by to pick you up."

"I-I had to visit my brother," Cody told him. "He's in town."

Bart took Cody's hand and smiled. "I want you to meet my friends. I think it's time I introduced you."

"You're serious?" Cody asked with shock. "You're ready?"

"Past ready," Bart replied as Cody lightly kissed his lips.

* * *

Connor was watching the girls play volleyball, and was ignoring the rest of the world.

"Hey, it's a party!" the blonde girl serving said, noticing Connor and thinking about his request. "What do you say, girls?"

The girls giggled as they started undoing their bikinis, dropping them to the sand. Connor was passed out before he could even glimpse the first topless girl. Connor would later kick himself, when he learned that virtually every girl at the party followed suit, with the exception of one Cassie Sandsmark.

* * *

"That's-that's a nice sandcastle," Grant said as he saw the five foot model of the Superfriend's Hall of Justice that Cameron was constructing.

"Thanks," Cameron said as he finished the water fountain in front. "Wait until you see the Batcave I'm working on."

* * *

"Come on, baby," the drunken frat boy said to Cassie. "All the other girls are doing it."

Virtually every girl along the beach had shed her top. Cassie sighed and seductively fingered the guy's chest.

"So you want some naked action huh?" Cassie asked as the guy smiled. Cassie grabbed his shirt and shorts and gave them a good tug, ripping them off of his body. The guy dropped his beer and tried to cover himself as he started to run to find cover.

* * *

Andy was taking some pictures of the sunset as Bart and Cody were walking by.

"Hey, Cody," Andy said as he noticed them. "Haven't seen you in forever."

"Bart, this is Andy," Cody told him. "My brother's best friend. Andy, this is Bart. My boyfriend."

"Nice to meet you," Andy told him as he looked at Cody. "Have you been to see him?"

"Right before I came to the party," Cody replied. "He's-still the same."

Bart stood back and let two friends talk. He knew Cody's brother was a sensitive subject, especially since he had been there when the accident occurred that had injured him. Bart looked out into the water and saw something strange under the waves. It was then something broke through the water. Bart pushed Cody and Andy out of the water as a blonde merman fell to the sand, unmoving.

"Dude, it's a merboy," Andy said as he started snapping pictures, which seemed to alert Seren. He tried to get up and crawl back to the ocean as Solomon Grundy emerged from the water.

"Oh, shit," Cody said as he saw the giant zombie approaching.

"Get out of here," Bart told the two. Cody took Andy's hand and rushed off. Bart held his Flash ring out and let his costume jump from the ring onto his body.

* * *

"Stop being such a wallflower," Cassie told Tim, who was holding an unopened can of beer. "Have some fun for once in your life."

"There's fun and then there's irresponsibility," Tim told her. "Besides, someone has to be the designated driver."

"For who? The girl and boy who can fly, the kid who can mimic powers or the one with superspeed?" Cassie asked. "Relax, Tim. It's not like there's a crisis to worry about tonight."

Tim sighed, knowing she was right. He popped open the beer and took a long drink, as the bonfire was starting to light up in the darkening sky.

"Solomon Grundy crush puny boy!" the zombie shouted as he pounded his fists into the sand, just as Impulse moved out of the way.

"Puny?" Impulse asked as he zipped around Grundy, tossing sand in his face. "I am 165 pounds of pure man. My boyfriend said so!"

Grundy reached out and grabbed Impulse around the neck and started squeezing. Seren, who was right behind Grundy, reached out his trident and stuck it between Grundy's legs and tripped the monster, causing him to fall forward and drop Impulse.

"Need... water," Seren said, gasping for air. Impulse grabbed him and started racing toward the water as Grundy jumped at them, but a blast of bluish energy knocked him away as Grant ran up to them.

"What in the world is going on?" Grant asked as Grundy rushed back and hit Grant, knocking him into the air.

Cameron was working on the Daily Planet sand sculpture while watching Grundy toss his friends around, when Grant came crashing down, destroying the full sized Metropolis that he'd built.

Grundy grabbed Impulse and Seren and tossed them high into the air. Cassie saw and raced into the sky to catch them before they fell.

"So much for having the night off," Cassie sighed as she flew back down toward the beach. "Bart, go get Tim and Connor."

"Right," Impulse said as he rushed off. Cassie tossed Seren into the water and flew toward Grundy, who was stomping toward Grant and Cameron. She flew hard into his back and pushed him forward, sending him sliding through the sand.

"And there goes the rest of my city," Cam said as Grundy slid through the rest of his sand domain, disappointment in his voice as his gold and blue uniform formed around his body. "Now I'm really pissed."

Bart took his costume off and rushed back to the bonfire to find Tim and Connor, who woke up to see topless women everywhere... then immediately passed out again. Meanwhile, Tim was halfway through his first beer and was starting to get pretty buzzed.

"Hey baby," Tim slurred to what was actually a surfboard. "Can I hang around your batcave?"

The surfboard tipped over on top of him, pinning Tim to the ground as Bart rushed up to him.

"Bart, I don't need an audience," Tim laughed as Bart realized he was wasted.

* * *

"Solomon Grundy crush puny humans!" Grundy shouted as Cassie and Grant tried to keep him at bay.

The two Titans both punched Grundy at once, sending him flying back.

Meanwhile, Terry and Andy were both on hand, getting the full scoop.

"This is great," Terry said as he watched the battle unfold. "It looks like we have our front page story."

"What about the story on who the real father of the new royal baby is?" Andy asked.

"We'll push it back to page four," Terry replied. "Besides, like anyone's going to care that some guy named-" Terry looked at his notepad. "Kal E. Bak is really the father."

"How do we stop something that can't die?" Grant asked, his shirt half torn.

"You don't," Felix Faust said as he arrived in a burst of flame. "I was wondering what was taking my helper so long."

"This night keeps getting better," Grant said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Grundy, return!" Faust commanded. "I'll take care of these fools."

"Hey, this guy doesn't look like much, we can take him," Grant said as Cassie and Cam agreed.

Felix waved his hand as the sand under their feet started to rise up around them. They struggled, but the sand soon overcame them.

"Three meta-humans will be perfect for what I have planned," Faust said as the three Titans became trapped in sand tombs. He snapped his fingers as they all disappeared in a burst of flame, just as Seren rose out of the water to see them leave.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	7. Splash, Part 2

**TEEN TITANS #7**

 **"Splash, Part 2"**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 _ **Previously: The Titans, in their secret identities, attended a beach bonfire, unaware that Solomon Grundy was near. Grundy picked a fight with a teenage merman named Seren, and soon Impulse, Damage, Omni and Wonder Girl got involved, until Felix Faust arrived and captured three of the Titans.**_

 _ **Now Impulse must find Superboy and Robin to rescue their teammates, unaware that the merman is watching everything that happens...**_

 _SONOVA BEACH_

"You have got to be kidding me," Bart Allen said as he looked down and saw his longtime friend, Tim Drake, wasted on alcohol. "I told you to cut loose, not get trashed to the point where you're about to have sex with a surfboard."

"It's alright, surfboards can't get pregnant," Tim laughed as Bart pulled him out and helped him to his feet.

"Cassie, Cam and Grant are in trouble," Bart said as he wrapped his arm around Tim's shoulder. "We have to get to them before-"

Bart saw Connor passed out on the sand with every girl on the beach having taken off her bikini tops. "Oh, man, we'll never get Connor out of here. Unless..."

Bart leaned Tim against the wall and zipped off, returning to cover every girl on the beach with long sleeved shirt. Connor immediately woke up.

"Party's over, let's go," Connor said as he saw the girls had put shirts on.

* * *

In a hidden cove, Felix Faust was looking at the three trapped Titans encased in solid sand prisons. He turned his attention to a cauldron and tossed more ingredients in.

"I was hoping to use this spell on the Justice League," Faust said as he added the fish scales. He pulled out a necklace with a rectangular ruby attached. "But I suppose I should test it out first, just to make sure it works. When I speak the incantation at midnight, I'll transfer the Titan's powers and abilities into this gem, granting me their powers."

In a small pool hidden within the cavern, Seren surfaced, watching Faust work on his spell.

* * *

Back at the beach, Andy and Terry were heading back to the bonfire.

"I got the pictures," Andy said as he held the camera in his hands. "Looks like you've got your cover story for the next edition."

"Yeah, let's enjoy the rest of the party," Terry said as Andy looked out over the water. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"It's- it's my friend," Andy told him. "He loved the beach. He would have had a blast here tonight."

"Want to talk about it?" Terry asked as Andy looked down at the camera.

"No, I think I'm just going to head home," Andy said with a sigh .He handed Terry the camera. "I'll see you Monday morning."

Andy walked away as Terry watched him, wondering what had happened to Andy's friend and Cody's brother.

* * *

"We need to sober Tim up," Connor said as he walked Tim along the beach with Bart. "Maybe we should get some coffee in him or get him a cold shower."

Bart sped off and returned with a water gun and started shooting Tim with a shower of cold coffee.

"Okay," Connor said as Tim laughed at Bart's efforts. "Let's try something else."

Connor smacked Tim as hard as he dared. "Sober up, damn you!"

"That looks like fun," Bart said as went to smack Tim as Connor grabbed his arm.

"We don't have time for this," Connor told him, not wanting Bart to know how much fun smacking Tim was. "Go find where Faust took the others while I try to get Tim sobered up."

"Right," Bart said as rushed off. Connor looked at Tim and sighed.

"I can't believe I'm the responsible one here," Connor told him. "What's the world coming to?"

Connor smacked Tim again just for the hell of it.

"You know I'm going to kick your ass after this, right?" Tim drunkenly asked.

* * *

Grant, Cameron and Cassie had been released from their sand prisons, but were now restrained by magical chains, holding them down so they couldn't escape.

"The three of your powers combined will make me more than a match for the Justice League," Faust told them. "They won't stand a chance against me, especially since I'll have the ability to use their own powers against them."

"Why couldn't you have a more useless power?" Grant asked as he looked at Cameron. "LIke spider-sense or something?"

"Don't worry, the others are still free, they'll come for us," Cassie told them. "Connor, Tim and Bart will come any minute."

They watched the cave entrance for a few minutes, waiting for the others to arrive.

"Any minute... NOW!" Cam said, pausing briefly, expecting them to show up.

"At exactly midnight, I can cast the spell and steal your powers," Faust said to the teens as he looked at Grundy. "Guard the entrance. I don't want any distractions."

Seren watched from the small pool as Grundy stomped toward the entrance. He dived back under the water and swam back out toward the ocean through a small underground tunnel.

* * *

Bart returned to the beach with Tim and Connor's costumes.

"Couldn'tfindtheothersbutIgotyourcostumes," Bart said as she zipped around Connor and Tim to get their costumes on, then realized he'd gotten them mixed up.

"BART!" Connor shouted as he stood there in Robin's costume, while Tim was wearing Connor's trademark black 'S' t-shirt and jeans.

"Sorry," Bart replied, but before he could change their costumes, a starfish hit him in the back of the head. "What the-"

He turned his attention to the water, where Seren was watching them.

"I know where your friends are," Seren told them. "You must hurry."

"Who are you?" Connor asked as he looked at the merman.

"My name is Seren, and Felix Faust has violated my home," Seren replied angrily. "I can lead you to your friends, then I want Faust for what he did to my brothers."

Connor picked Tim up and slung him over his shoulder as Bart opened his Flash ring and let his Impulse costume jump onto his body. Connor flew off over the water as Impulse ran over it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Terry was enjoying a beer at the beach party when he saw Robin flying over the water with Superboy over his shoulder. Terry looked at his beer, then looked back at the Boy Wonder.

"Either I've had too much to drink, or I haven't had nearly enough," Terry said to himself.

Cody saw Impulse running across the water and sighed. "So much for a nice night out."

Cody finished his beer and tossed the can into the garbage can before starting his walk home.

* * *

Seren led Superboy, Robin and Impulse to the cavern, where Solomon Grundy was standing guard.

"Bart, do you mind?" Connor asked as he looked over at Impulse, who just sighed as he quickly switched Superboy and Robin's costumes, putting them on the right person. Superboy cracked his knuckles as he saw Grundy. "Much better."

"Solomon Grundy crush Super baby!" Grundy shouted as he rushed toward Superboy.

"BABY!?" Superboy asked.

"Uh oh," Impulse said as he saw the fire in Superboy's eyes. He grabbed Robin and rushed inside the cave while Grundy and Superboy were distracted.

Grant continued to struggle with his chains as he looked over at Cam.

"You can mimic powers," Grant told him. "Can't you tap into one of the powers I haven't used yet and break these chains?"

"I don't know," Cam told him as he closed his eyes. He pulled as hard as he could on the chains, and managed to phase through them until he was freed. "Wow."

"I'll say," Grant said as Cam broke him and Cassie out of their chains. "What other powers don't I have access to?"

Cam was about to tell him when Grundy and Superboy crashed through the wall. Superboy kept punching Grundy, knocking him further back.

"You like that, BI-YOTCH!" Superboy shouted as he kept punching Grundy. "Who's the baby now!?"

Grundy caught Superboy's face in his giant hand and slammed the Teen of Steel into the wall, and continued to pound him into it as if he were pounding a nail.

"Alright, guys, Superoboy's keeping Tall, Dark & Dead busy," Impulse said as he arrived with the still drunken Robin. "Let's get the hell out of-"

A bright flash of light appeared as Felix Faust blocked their escape.

"None of you are leaving this cave alive," Faust told them.

"If I were wearing what you're wearing, I wouldn't want to leave alive either," Robin laughed.

"It's six-," Damage started to say as he saw Grundy pounding the hell out of Superboy. Five-," Damage started to say as he saw Tim slump against the wall. "Four-"

"Hey, a shiny nickel!" Cam shouted as Grant sighed.

"-Three against one. I think we can handle you."

Faust held up an amulet as the clock struck midnight, and he started to chant in Latin. The Titans started feeling weak as their collective energy started to flow into the amulet. Just as the last of their power was about to be drained, Seren jumped out of the pool and struck Faust in the back with his trident, causing him to drop the amulet, shattering it on the ground.

"NO!" Faust shouted as the Titans regained their powers. They were about to surround Faust when they saw Superboy's unconscious body fly past them.

"Grundy stomp children!" the zombie shouted as he stomped toward them. The four Titans rushed toward him as Robin just looked at the unconscious Superboy.

"So," Robin said with a laugh. "This is way better than a bonfire. Too bad there's nothing to drink, though."

Seren was trying to crawl back toward the pool, but Faust grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air.

"You have ruined my plans, boy," Faust told him bitterly.

"I'm not a boy, I'm a merman," Seren told him as he struggled to breathe.

"Prepare to suffer the worst fate you can possibly imagine," Faust laughed as he started chanting in Latin as Seren's body began to feel intense pain, causing him to lose consciousness. Faust just dropped his body back into the pool before turning his attention to the Titans that were fighting Grundy.

"This guy's not taking any of our punches," Wonder Girl said as she worked his chest, while Impulse and Omni worked his legs.

"Grundy, come!" Faust shouted. Grundy grabbed Grant by the leg and swung him into the others, knocking them off and to the ground. He swung Grant once again to hit Impulse, accidentally causing Grant's blue jean shorts to tear off, sending him crashing head first into the wall.

Grundy stomped off as he disappeared with Faust in a burst of light, teleporting them both back to Faust's secret lair far away.

* * *

"This isn't over," Faust said angrily. "I will have my revenge on the Titans."

"Grundy knows what Grundy want now," the zombie said as he looked at Grant's shorts, finally discovering what all undead giant zombies long for.

"What is that, my undead friend?" Faust asked.

"Solomon Grundy want pants!"

* * *

Everyone returned to the bonfire, with Grant wearing a towel around his waist. Bart immediately looked for Cody and couldn't find him anywhere.

"Cody went home," Terry told Bart as he passed by. "Can't blame him, you've been gone for two hours."

"It was an emergency," Bart replied in self-defense. "Some friends needed me."

"Dude, you're in a relationship now," Terry said with a laugh. "What could have been more important than spending the evening with your man?"

"Bart, I'm heading home, I'm worn out from that pounding I took," Connor said as he put an arm around Bart's shoulder, his face flushed and red from the beating he took from Grundy. "Great party, we should do this again sometime."

"Ah, I see," Terry told him before coldly adding. "Cody deserves a hell of a lot better than you."

Terry threw his drink in Bart's face and stormed off, angered that was one of his best friends was dating a cheater.

"What was that all about?" Connor asked as he looked at Bart.

"Nothing," Bart replied as he realized he had a lot of explaining to do.

"He is going to wake up with one hell of a hangover," Cassie said as she carried Tim toward the car. "How much did he have to drink?"

"Half a beer," Cameron replied as he shook the can Tim was drinking from earlier. "Some people can't hold their alcohol."

"Wait a minute," Grant replied as he looked at Tim's beer can. "There's powder on the edge this beer can. Unless Tim was having a doughnut with his beer-"

"Someone here was out to have a good time at the expense of someone else's good time," Cassie told them. "I'm going to scout around the beach to make sure there's no foul play. Get Tim home."

Cassie flew off as Grant put Tim in the back of his jeep.

"So, do you think we'll see that merman again?" Cameron asked as he got into the passenger seat.

"I don't doubt it," Grant replied as he got behind the wheel. "I just wish we knew if he was alright. It looked like Faust had done something to do him, but what?"

* * *

 _The next morning_

Seren opened his eyes and realized the sunlight was hitting his body, but he wasn't feeling dehydrated like he normally was when he was out of the water for so long. He wondered how long he'd been out in the open.

Seren groaned as he sat up and realized immediately that something was wrong as he looked down at the lower half of his body, which was no longer emerald green and scaly, but instead pink and smooth. Instead of a tailfin, he had two long legs, leading to two human feet with five digits apiece. And just below his waist was something else that he knew shouldn't be there.

The young man just sat there in stunned silence for a few seconds before a loud scream was heard for miles.

 **NEXT: DAMAGE DONE**


	8. Damage Done, Part 1

**"Damage Done, Part 1"**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 _Saturday Morning_

 _Atlanta, Georgia, 9 a.m._

Trevor was about a mile away when he stopped to lean on a tree. He'd been running for fifteen minutes, and didn't want to stop now. He looked out from behind his hiding place to make sure he wasn't being followed. When he was sure, he turned back around, only to have an arrow shoot right through his shoulder, pinning him to the tree.

"Naughty, naughty," the woman in the white lab coat said as the boy was knocked out by the butt of a security guard's rifle.

Today is Trevor's 14th birthday. Whether he lives to see his 15th depended on one thing...

* * *

 _UCLA, 10 a.m._

"Would you turn that noise down?" Tim Drake asked as he entered the campus rec room, where Grant was playing the 8 Mile soundtrack as loudly as possible. Tim was holding an ice pack on his head. "I have the world's worst hangover and all this rapping about bitches and ho's isn't helping."

"You're no fun when you're out of costume," Grant said as he turned the stereo down. "Well, except when you're drunk. I thought you liked Eminem."

"Eminem is one of my favorite artists, but not when I'm trying to keep my head from exploding," Tim replied.

"Mail call!" Bart shouted as he entered the room and looked at Grant and Tim. "Who here is named Mel?"

"Wise ass," Tim said as he grabbed the stack of letters from him. "Junk mail, junk mail, death threat for Bart-"

"I told you to stop stalking Joyce DeWitt," Grant said to Bart as the speedster jumped onto the couch next to him.

"The woman is pure evil!" Bart shouted as he tossed the letter into the trash, which was overflowing with other death threats.

"Hey, there's a letter here for you, Grant," Tim said as he handed the letter to him.

Grant opened the letter and started reading it to himself. "I...I gotta go." Grant suddenly said as he ran for the door.

"Where are you heading?" Tim asked as he followed Grant outside.

"I can't say," Grant said as he got into his jeep. "I just have to go."

The car peeled out of the parking space and headed down the street, leaving Tim and Bart standing there.

"What do you think was in that letter?" Tim asked.

"Something about Project Telemachus," Bart said as he read the letter.

"Where'd you get that?" Tim asked as he looked over at Bart.

"Got it before Grant got in the car," Bart said as Tim took the letter.

"Project Telemachus 2 is underway," Tim read. "Isn't that the experiment that Vandal Savage was using Grant for?"

"Sounds like it, but why does it have a sequel?" Bart asked as he looked down the street.

"Get everyone together," Tim told him. "Just in case."

* * *

Terry unlocked the door to his office and sat behind his desk, tossing the camera onto the pile of papers. He'd develop them that afternoon, then he'd talk to Cody about his so-called boyfriend Bart. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Andy's number to make sure he got home alright after the bonfire, but didn't get a reply, only getting the voicemail.

"Andy, it's Terry, I'm at the office, and I was wondering if you wanted to get together for dinner or something?" Terry asked as he looked out the window. "I'll be in the office all day, just give me a call and tell me you're alright."

Terry hung up and went back to work to make sure the campus newspaper was running smoothly.

* * *

Grant was on the highway toward Atlanta when Cameron popped up in the backseat.

"Hey, what's going on?" Cameron asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing in my car?" Grant asked as he pulled over on the side of the road.

"I fell asleep," Cameron said. "I couldn't sleep in my room because some idiot was playing Emenem at full blast."

"I'm dropping you off at the next city," Grant said. "You can call for Bart to come pick you up."

"Where are you going?" Cameron asked as he hopped into the front seat.

"None of your business," Grant replied. "Especially since you're not coming with me."

"If you're in trouble, you're going to need someone there to watch your back," Cameron said. "Besides, I've never been on a road trip with a friend. Well, besides that one time I went on that road trip with my friends."

Grant just looked at him.

"I'll pay for dinner." Cameron said, having snuck twenty bucks out of Grant's wallet earlier.

"Fine," Grant said. "But I'm in charge. Just don't get in my way."

"So, where are we heading?" Cameron asked.

"Atlanta."

"We're going to Aquaman's home?" Cameron asked in awe as Grant just stared at him blankly.

* * *

 _The Symbolix Research Facility in Atlanta_

"Another failed attempt to escape, I see," Dr. Griffen said to the boy being drug back into the lab. "If we weren't so close to completion, I'd have your legs broken to teach you a lesson."

Trevor was strapped onto a table as Dr. Griffen prepared to draw blood from him. "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit," the doctor said, followed by a three second pause. "It'll hurt a lot."

Before she could stick the needle in, her cell phone started to ring.

"Hello? Of course, he was brought back in perfect condition. The other one? Of course, he'll be in our custody within 24 hours." Dr. Griffen went back to the task at hand. If the boy hadn't been tired from being beaten, he would have cried out in pain.

* * *

Connor Kent was lifting weights in his room at the Kent Farm in Kansas when Cassie knocked on his bedroom door. Connor used his x-ray vision to see who it was before he opened, and seeing it was Cassie, pulled off his shirt and poured water on himself to give the illusion that he was sweating.

"Cassie, what a surprise," Connor said as he opened the door.

"I just came by because I wanted to give you back those DVDs I borrowed," Cassie said as she looked around his room, ignoring his body. She saw pictures of girls in skimpy bikinis everywhere, and Playboys peeking out from under the edge of his mattress.

"Uh, thanks," Connor said as he took the discs. He'd mistakenly bought '28 Days' thinking it was a prequel to '28 Days Later', and he'd realized 20 minutes into 'Octupussy' was far from what he'd thought it would be. "So, you flew all the way out just to bring me back two DVDs?"

"I wanted to see the famous Kent Farm," Cassie told him as Connor smiled a little. He'd been telling everyone about the Kent's and how they were taking great care of him.'

"I'll be glad to give you the tour," Connor told her as he wrapped a towel around his shoulders. "Then maybe you could stay for dinner?"

"Oh, sorry, I only have an hour, I have a date tonight," Cassie said as Connor accidentally snapped the dumbbell in his hand in half.

* * *

 _The Bates Motel, 7 p.m._

"So you were banned from Atlanta?" Cameron asked Grant, who was in the bathroom trying on a blonde wig and colored contacts to change his appearance.

"Blow up a good portion of the place and they hold it over you for the rest of your life," Grant said. "Roy Harper tried to use his connections to make that little incident disappear, but when I left the Titans to live on the reservation, it was considered a breach of contract, despite Roy trying to help. One of the conditions of me being a free man was that I could never go back to Atlanta."

"What exactly are we doing here, anyway?" Cameron asked as he jumped onto his bed on the other side of the room.

"We're here to stop a disaster before it happens," Grant replied as he changed into a tank top and sweat pants. "Project Telemachus was a code name for a baby who was infused with the DNA of the world's most powerful heroes. A baby who was a test subject to see if super soldiers could be genetically bred. A man named Vandal Savage set the experiment up by kidnapping a baby and killing his mother at birth. The baby spent sixteen years with a foster family before he realized they didn't care for him, they were just pawns in Savage's game. Long story short, the experiment was shut down and the kid went out on his own."

"The kid was you," Cameron realized. "Wasn't it? Because if it's not, I could totally see that dude from 'High School Musical' in that kind of movie."

"Yeah, it's me," Grant replied, ignoring Cam's last comment. "I was Project Telemachus. That means if there's a Project Telemachus 2, they've got another poor soul stashed somewhere, going through, or getting ready to go through, the hell that I had to endure. I'm not going to let that happen."

"So, where do we start?" Cameron asked as he fluffed his pillow.

"Where it began," Grant replied as he sat down. "Assuming there's anything left. But first let's get some sleep. We'll get a start in the morning at the original Symbolix building."

Grant got into his bed and reached over to turn out the light, but paused. "Which guy from 'High School Musical'?"

"The gay one,"

"That really narrows it down. Goodnight, Cam,"

Outside, soldiers were gathering around the hotel, waiting for the right moment to strike...

* * *

Hours later, Grant and Cameron were sleeping in twin beds. Grant, barely able to sleep as it was, had to get up to use the bathroom. Meanwhile, someone was trying to pry the window open. Grant was washing his hands when he looked up and saw his reflection in the mirror, and started to remember his foster family and the hell that is foster father put him through.

"I can't let that happen to someone else," Grant said as he heard footsteps in the next room. Next came the sound of a rifle being cocked and loaded. "What the hell?"

Grant kicked open the door, which kind of hurt since he was barefoot and saw soldiers standing around Cameron's bed, whose head was covered by a blanket.

"Get away from him!" Grant said as his hands started glowing with blue energy.

"Get him!" one soldier said as they started firing. Grant dove beside one of the beds and tossed an energy spike to toss them off balance.

"What's going on?" Cameron said as he sat up. "What are these guys doing here? Is this about that overdue library book? Man, those librarians don't play around."

"Cameron, get out of here!" Grant shouted as the soldiers advanced toward him.

"I don't think so," Cameron said as he jumped out of the bed as the soldiers started snickering at his Care Bears boxer shorts. "Hey, stop laughing!"

"Cameron, I said-!" Grant started to say as he took the opportunity to clobber the soldiers standing next to him and looked at Cameron standing on the bed. "Care Bears? What the hell were you thinking?"

"Says the guy who has all three seasons of Jem & The Holograms on DVD," Cameron said as he grabbed the barrel of the nearest soldier's gun and bent it upward after siphoning Grant's strength.

While the two Titans argued, the rest of the soldiers were trying to retreat.

"What's the matter, leave your Mr. T underwear at home?" Grant asked.

"Look who's talking, at least I don't sleep with a picture of Ricki Lake!" Cameron shouted.

"It's autographed and I find it comforting!" Grant shouted back as he hugged the glossy 8x10 photograph. "Hey, where'd those guys go?"

Outside, the soldiers were lined up with bazookas.

"FIRE!"

A blast shook the motel as the roof started to give way as Cameron and Grant ducked under the bed as the roof caved in around them. Fifteen minutes later, the soldiers were digging around, trying to find their prey.

"Found something!" one of the soldiers said. "Is this the one we came for?"

"Who cares?" another soldier said. "Let's just get back to the lab before the boss has a cow."

They drug the boy out of the rubble and tossed him into the back of a van as it peeled away. Minutes later, a fist burst through the debris as Grant dug himself out. "Cameron?"

* * *

Cody walked through the door of his dorm room and found a romantic candle lit dinner waiting.

"Bart," Cody said as he saw Bart standing there in a black dinner suit. "What's all this for?"

"Well, you've been avoiding me all day," Bart said as he looked down. "I figured you were pissed at me for ditching you last night, so I made an Italian dinner."

"I'm not pissed," Cody said as he put his hand under Bart's chin and raised his head. "It's just... it's hard sharing you with the rest of the world. You're a superhero, Bart; you've got responsibilities. It's just difficult knowing I'm always going to come in second in our relationship."

Bart looked down at the Flash ring on his finger and fiddled around with it.

"You're right," Bart said. "I do have responsibilities. I had this talk with Carol when we started going out, but I never really understood what she was trying to get at."

Bart pulled the ring off of his finger and set it on the counter. "And unless there's a life or death emergency tonight, you're my top priority."

Cody smiled as he hugged Bart. "So, what's this romantic dinner you cooked up? It smells like... pizza?"

"It is Italian," Bart laughed as he took Cody's hand and led him to the dinner table.

* * *

 _The Symbolix Lab_

"You idiots!" Dr. Griffen shouted as she looked down at the boy." This isn't him! This doesn't even look like him!"

"Well, the other one was kind of... killed," the soldier said, making an excuse. "Under the rubble and debris."

"Go and make sure!" Griffen shouted as she looked at the unconscious Cameron, laying on the ground as the soldier's looked nervous, knowing that they'd pay if the real boss knew they'd screwed up. "If he is dead, you'll answer to Vandal Savage! And toss this one in with Trevor until we decide what to do with him."

The soldiers opened a glass case and tossed Cameron in before sealing it again. The Titan started to regain consciousness and looked up to what he thought was-

"Grant?" Cameron asked, his vision still somewhat blurry. When his vision fully returned, he saw a boy who looked like a younger Grant.

"The name's Trevor," the boy said as he offered a hand to help Cameron up. "Are you one of their pet projects, too?"

* * *

Grant was digging through the rubble and found his Damage uniform. He continued searching to find Cameron.

"Come on, Cameron, where are you, buddy?" Grant asked himself as he heard a van coming back. He grabbed his costume and ran into the nearby forest to change.

"The other one's got to be in here, somewhere." the soldier said as they started digging through the rubble.

"He's right here!" Damage shouted as an energy spike knocked the two soldiers unconscious. Shortly, they woke up tied to a tree.

"Where's my friend?" Damage asked.

"Why should we tell you anything?" the first soldier asked.

"Oh, you're going to talk, or else I'm going to cause some real... damage." the boy smiled as his held up his hand and prepared an energy spike.

"They'reatthesymbolixlaboratoryjustupthestreetturnleftatthelightthey'reinanawhitebuildingthirdlabontheright!" the soldier said as he ran out of breath.

Damage grabbed the keys out of the soldier's pocket. "Hope you don't mind if I borrow your van for camouflage."

* * *

"You can't escape," Trevor said as Cameron was trying to find a weak spot in the glass. "I've been trying for years."

"We'll get out of here," Cameron said. "The Teen Titans will be here any minute now."

"The Teen Titans?" Trevor asked. "You're a Titan?"

"Yeah," Cameron said. "And Damage should be bringing in the cavalry any time now."

"Wow," Trevor said. "But what if they don't come?"

"Then I'll get us out of here," Cameron said. "And then we'll go get my friends and we'll come back and shut this place down."

* * *

Damage parked the van inside the garage of the Symbolix lab. It was easy getting in, but it was going to extremely difficult to find Cameron and get out.

"Third lab on the right, huh?" Damage said as he entered the building. "Security's kind of light. Wonder if they've been expecting me?"

The security was building up right behind him, their guns ready to fire at any second...

* * *

"This glass is insulated," Cameron said as he took his hand off the glass. "I'm powerless against it if I don't have powers to draw from."

"They took precautions against any type of meta attack, anyway" Trevor explained. "Kryptonite gas in the sprinkler system, yellow lights to stop a Lantern, motion bombs for the speedsters, liquid nitrogen for shape shifters- You name it, they've prepared for it."

"I just need some kind of power to use," Cameron told him.

"Trust me, even if you have powers," Trevor replied with a sigh. "There's no escape."

Cameron knelt down and put his palm on the floor, imploding it, creating a hole big enough to jump through.

"How did I do that?" Cameron asked. "Oh, well, let's go before they see us escape."

* * *

Damage snuck into the lab just as Cameron and Trevor made their escape. Damage's hands were starting to glow with energy, just in case he ran into trouble.

"Where is everybody?" Damage asked.

"Right here, darling," Dr. Griffen said as she plunged a needle into Damage's neck. "Sweet dreams."

* * *

Meanwhile, Cameron and Trevor were on the level below, trying to find a way out.

"There should be an exit around here somewhere," Trevor said. "They used to keep me on this level when I first started escaping."

"How did you manage to escape all those times?" Cameron asked.

"I'm not sure," Trevor replied. "I've kind of got this power to-"

"Take one more step, and you're dead," Dr. Griffen said as the soldiers surrounded them. "Take Trevor back to the lab. As for this one... Mr. Savage says he's expendable."

The soldier clubbed Cameron on the back of the head as he was dragged away.

* * *

Grant opened his eyes. He was trapped inside an insulated glass chamber.

"Ah, I see you're awake," Dr. Griffen said. "Welcome home, Project Telemachus."

"Why?" Grant asked. "Why now?"

"We knew you'd come running here as soon as you learned there was a Project Telemachus 2. You heroic fools will do anything to save innocent lives," Griffen replied. "You fell right into our lap."

"What are you going to do with me?" Grant asked.

"First we're going to harvest everything inside of you: Your blood, organs, hair, DNA, anything that will further our research. You will be dead, but at least you'll be making history," Griffen said with a smirk.

"Is there even a PT2?" Grant asked.

"Of course," Griffen replied. "We didn't lie about that part."

Griffen snapped her fingers and Trevor was dragged in and tossed to the ground. He looked beaten and one of his legs was twisted in a direction that it really shouldn't be going in.

"Grant, say hello to Trevor, or Project Telemachus 2," Griffen said. "Or you can just call him...little brother."

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	9. Damage Done, Part 2

**"Damage Done, Part 2"**  
 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 **Previously, Grant received word that the experiment that he was apart of when he was younger was active again. He headed to Atlanta with Cameron in tow and the two soon ran into trouble. Cameron and Grant were captured and met Trevor, Grant's cloned little brother, who had been dubbed 'Project Telemachus 2'**

 **Now all 3 are in danger from Vandal Savage and his deadly project...**

The guards had brought the unconscious Cameron to a nearby lake and were preparing to shoot him before tossing him in.

"How should we do this?" the first soldier asked.

"Let's just shoot his legs and toss him in," the second soldier replied. "He'll sink like a stone."

"But what if he manages to stay afloat?" the first soldier asked. "Shouldn't we just shoot both his arms and legs?"

"Yeah, but it'd just be wasting bullets and I don't want the wasted ammo coming out of my paycheck," the second soldier replied.

"Well, we could always just shoot him in the spine and paralyze him," the first soldier said.

"Yeah, but what if you miss and like, hit his liver or something?" the second soldier asked. "Would he still be able to swim with a pierced liver?"

While the two soldiers were arguing, Cameron was waking up. Taking advantage of the soldiers not looking down toward him, he got up and started to sneak away, grabbing a nearby tree branch. He swung it and knocked the two into the lake, kicking their guns onto the other side of the dock and into the water.

Cameron started running back towards the Symbolix lab. Luckily the soldiers had left the keys in the van and a map leading back to the place. He concentrated as his gold and blue uniform morphed around his body before he headed back to rescue Grant and Trevor.

* * *

"What do you mean he's my brother?" Damage asked. "My mother died after I was born, thanks to Vandal Savage."

"When we begun the work on splicing your DNA with that of the Justice Society and a few of the Justice League members, we used some of your genes to create a new test subject. We cloned Trevor here a few years later, although his powers can't be compared to yours," Griffen explained.

"You cloned me!?" Damage shouted.

"Only as a backup, should you be killed or develop a free will of your own," Griffen said. "Obviously we were right in doing so."

"You're all fucking mad," Damage replied. "As soon I get out of here, I'm taking all of you down."

"Don't waste your strength," Griffen said. "You'll never break out of that chamber, it's equipped to contain meta-humans of even Superman's level of power. Even though you haven't exhibited the powers of any of the metas whose DNA is within you, you still have their combined weakness, which is lining the walls."

Damage struggled as Griffen left the lab to collect more tools for the upcoming experiments to extract Damage's DNA. When she left, Trevor dragged himself to Damage's chamber. He left a small trail of blood from where his leg was twisted and bleeding.

"Are you really him?" Trevor asked.

"I guess so," Grant said as he knelt down to look at Trevor. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances."

"Your friend, Cameron, do you think he's still alive?" Trevor asked.

"He's a tough kid," Grant said, "but I wouldn't count on him getting us out of here."

* * *

Cameron picked up the CB radio in the van and was trying to patch through to any of the Titan's frequencies.

"Hello, Teen Titans, can you hear me?" Cameron asked.

* * *

Bart and Cody were lying on the couch after dinner, just relaxing in each other's arms. Bart didn't even care that his nice suit was getting wrinkled as Cody's head lay on his shoulder.

"I love you," Cody whispered as looked up at Bart.

"I love you, too," Bart replied as his communicator started beeping.

"You should probably answer that," Cody said as he looked up at Bart.

"It's just Cameron," Bart said as he recognized the code. "He probably just wants someone to play video games with. I told you, you're my top priority tonight."

Cody smiled as he kissed Bart. "So, what do we now?"

"Well, its Saturday night," Bart replied, "and there's something the two of us have never done together. Something that will show our love for each other."

"Bart, I don't know if I'm ready," Cody replied. "I mean, I know we keep talking about...our first time. But it just makes me nervous. What I mess up? What if I embarrass myself?"

"Trust me," Bart said with a smile as he sat up. "I'll be there to guide you the whole way. So, are you up for it?"

"Sure," Cody said as Bart sat up and took him in his arms and sped out the door, finally arriving in Europe minutes later.

"The ultimate video arcade," Bart told him as they looked at the large building. "Once we enter, we may never come out."

"Let's go for it," Cody said as he saw Bart was already gone. He sighed and followed him in.

* * *

 _Smallville, Kansas_

"A... date?" Connor asked as Cassie Sandsmark, his ex-girlfriend, stood in his bedroom. "You never mentioned..."

"We met at the bonfire," Cassie told him. "I was looking for whoever puts drugs in Tim's beer when I saw a guy on the beach. We started talking and...we saw we had a lot of things in common, so he asked me out."

"Oh," Connor told her. "Well, I'm glad you found someone you can relate to. I'm sort of seeing someone now, too."

"Shauna, right?" Cassie asked as she saw a picture of Connor and his best friend Kenny that was taken at the County Fair. "Bart told me about her."

"Yeah," Connor said. "She's a great girl."

The two stood there in an awkward silence for a few moments before Cassie looked at her watch.

"I...I should get going," Cassie said as she headed for the door. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah," Connor said as he watched her leave. "See you."

Connor's communicator started beeping. He saw it was from Cameron.

"Probably wants me to go karaoke clubbing with him again," Connor said as he shut it off.

* * *

 _The Symbolix Lab_

"This chamber's draining my power," Grant said as he looked down at Trevor. "I guess this is where it all ends."

"No, it's not," Trevor said as he put his hand on the glass. "Stand back."

Trevor used his powers to implode the glass, shattering it. Grant stepped out of the chamber, amazed at his brother's power.

"Thanks, bro," Damage said as he picked Trevor up. "Let's get out of here."

"Wait," Trevor said. "You can't break the glass. We'll go out my way. Put me near the floor."

Trevor put his hands on the floor, causing it to rumble as the floor gave way and the two fell into the lab below.

"Your power is to blow stuff up, too?" Damage asked.

"Kind of," Trevor replied. "Where your power is to exert energy to cause explosions, mine is to insert energy to make things implode."

"Cool," Damage said. "I could definitely use you when Cameron starts singing with the radio."

* * *

Omni was preparing to enter the Symbolix building when the alarms started going off and a group of armed soldiers started coming out to greet him. Omni just stood there and started counting them.

"12 to 1," Omni said to himself, feeling Grant and Trevor's powers nearby. "Feel sorry for them."

* * *

"Why weren't the floors reinforced?" Griffen shouted as she saw Trevor and Damage escape their cell.

"We figured the kid's leg was broken," one of the guards said. "We didn't think that-"

Griffen pulled out a gun and shot him. "Get them back! And this time break both of their backs!"

Damage was leading his brother toward the exit when the guards started filing in.

"Oh, good," Damage said as he lowered his brother to the ground. "Ten to one. My favorite odds."

* * *

Meanwhile, a trail of unconscious soldiers was lining the halls as Omni rushed down the corridor. He reached the lab and saw Damage had taken out nine of the soldiers and had the tenth in a headlock.

"Can we get out of here?" Omni asked.

"Take Trevor," Damage said. "I want to take this place out for good."

"There is no escape," Griffen said as she held a gun towards them. "Vandal Savage has come to far to let his experiments fail."

Omni's hand created an energy spike from Damage's powers. He tossed it, knocking the gun from her hand as Damage grabbed the doctor.

"Evacuate your men," Damage said. "This building is condemned."

"You plan on destroying the building?" Vandal Savage asked as he stood in the doorway, his form covered by darkness. "I thought you knew me better than that, Grant."

"Get my brother out of here," Damage shouted toward Omni. "Now!"

Omni helped Trevor go the other way as Damage approached Savage. "This ends tonight."

"For once I agree," Savage said. "After all you've been through, I think you really want it all to end."

Savage pressed a button on a remote control behind his back as Damage's mind was flooded with memories of abuse he endured at the hands of his foster father. Damage fell to his knees as Savage kicked him to the ground.

"Poor Grant," Savage said. "So much power, yet he couldn't protect himself from his own father."

Savage kicked him in the stomach. "This experiment has failed. It's time to terminate."

* * *

"We've gotta go back in for him," Trevor said as Omni carried him down the hall. "I can't leave him."

"You stay here," Omni said. "I'll get him."

"No," Trevor said as he put his hands on Omni's shoulders. Moments later, the Titan was yelling in pain and passed out, his body smoking as he laid on the ground. "Sorry, but I've got to do this."

* * *

"Now we reach the end of our journey," Savage said as he pulled out a gun. "Such a shame."

"No!" Trevor said as he lunged for Savage, putting his arm around the man's neck, flooding him with power. "Grant, get out of here!"

Grant was laying on the ground, too lost in his memories.

"Grant, those memories aren't real!" Trevor shouted. "Savage had them implanted in you to keep you in line! You were never abused!"

"Never... abused?" Damage asked as he started to snap out of it.

"Fool!" Savage said as he grabbed Trevor and tossed him into the wall and aimed his gun. Damage shoved him just as he pulled the trigger and started punching.

"You son of a bitch!" Damage shouted. "How could you do that to me?!"

"Because you are nothing more than an experiment," Savage said. "A guinea pig. A common rat."

Before Damage could land another blow, he looked over and saw Trevor sitting against the wall, his grey shirt growing dark red by the second. Savage's gun had hit its mark.

"No!" Damage shouted as he ran to his brother, giving Savage the chance to escape.

"If by chance the two of you do survive, then know this: We will meet again." Savage said as he escaped through a tunnel that closed itself off.

"Trevor?" Damage asked as he held Trevor. "Come on, bro, don't do this to me. Don't leave me!"

* * *

Just then, an explosion rocked the lab. Outside, Omni was waking up just in time to see the entire building explode in a fiery ball.

"Oh, no," Onmi said. "Damage! Trevor!"

Before he could stand, he saw Damage walking out, his brother in his arms.

"We need to get to a hospital..."

* * *

 _Shortly, at Manchester General Hospital_

"He's in very critical condition," Dr. Jones said. "The next few hours are extremely crucial."

"Can I see him?" Grant asked.

"Yes, but just for a minute," the doctor said.

"I've been trying to call the others, but I'm not getting any answer," Omni told him. "I'll keep trying."

"You do that," Grant said as he paused briefly. "Cam? Thanks...for everything. You saved my life tonight. I won't forget that."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Cam asked as Grant smiled a little, realizing that Cam wasn't so bad after all. "I'll be out here if you need me."

Grant walked into the room, where his brother was laying there, hooked up to several IVs and monitors. "Trevor?"

Grant grabbed a chair and sat down next to the bed. "I know we just met, but I feel like I've known you forever. I swear that when you get out of here, I'm taking you home with me and we'll be like a real family. Just you and me."

Grant squeezed his brother's hand as Trevor slowly opened his eyes. "Grant..."

"I'm here, Trev," Grant said. "I'm not leaving you."

Trevor closed his eyes as a long beep started to come from the heart monitor.

"Trevor?" Grant asked. "What's going on?"

Doctors started filing into the room as Grant was shoved out. "What's going on!?"

Two minutes later, Grant looked back into the room, just in time to see the doctors talking with each other. Trevor had just slipped into a very deep coma, one which he was likely to ever wake from.

Today was Trevor's 14th birthday, and it was very unlikely he'd ever wake to see his 15th...

* * *

An abandoned military base a hundred miles outside of New Orleans

"The loss of Trevor and Grant was my fault," Dr. Griffen said as she walked alongside Vandal Savage down a darkened hallway. I accept full responsibility."

"Grant will come home to us someday," Savage assured her. "As for Trevor...he was weak. He was expendable."

Savage entered his code into a pad outside of a large metal door as it started to slide open.

"And you know what they say, doctor," Savage said as they entered the room. "If at first you don't succeed..."

The room lit up as a teenage boy who looked like Grant, only with jet black hair and facial features similar to Savage, floated in a large glass tube. "Try, try, again..."


	10. Risk It All, Part 1

**"Risk It All, Part 1"**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 _Titans Roll Call_

 _Robin, the Boy Wonder_

 _Superboy, the Teen of Steel_

 _Impulse, the Fastest Boy Alive_

 _Wonder Girl, the Young Amazon_

 _Damage, the Human Atomic Bomb_

 _Omni, the Power Mimic_

* * *

 _California - The Day of the Titans Tryouts_

"How did I let you talk me into this?" Damage asked as he sat at a table outside of a motel.

"We need a seventh member," Robin said as he sat next to Damage while he looked at the long line of applicants rounding the block, "and the only way to do that is to hold try outs."

"Next," Superboy said reluctantly. "I hate these things. Why do all of us have to be here?"

"Because I want whoever joins the team to be approved by all of us," Robin replied as the next applicant stepped up. "Powers?"

"Well, I can stop nuclear explosions before they happen, slow down speedsters, I have kryptonite eye beams, I have the strength of twenty Amazons, I can mimic and double the powers I take in, and I know 700 forms of karate,"

"Name?"

"Judas," the young man said, who was dressed in a Deathstroke type outfit.

There was a long, two-minute pause as everyone just sat in silence before someone spoke up again.

"I like him," Superboy said.

"Me, too," Impulse added.

"No problem here," Omni replied.

"He's cool with me," Damage responded.

"He's cute," Wonder Girl finished.

Robin just rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "This is going to be a long day."

* * *

"It's been a week," Terry Berg said as he talked to campus security over the phone. "He hasn't been back to his dorm room, his car's still in the parking lot, and he hasn't shown up to any of his classes. Something must have happened to him after the bonfire last Friday night. All right, I'll keep an eye out for him, just let me know when you find him. Andy's my best friend. I don't want anything bad to happen to him. Find him, please."

Terry hung up the phone and sat back in the chair in the editor's office where he was working. The only person in the world that Terry could depend on was missing.

"Dammit, I'm a reporter, I should be out searching," Terry said as he grabbed his car keys and headed out the door.

* * *

"Next," Wonder Girl said as the next applicant approached. He was a six-foot tall kid with red skin, white hair and horns. "Name?"

"Kid Devil," the young man said as Impulse's eyes widened.

"Holy crap!" Impulse shouted as he ran off and returned with a minister's collar and a jar of holy water, sprinkling it on Kid Devil. "The power of Christ compels you! The power of Christ compels you!"

"The power of Christ is compelling me to kick your ass," Kid Devil told him as he started to get angry.

"It's not working!" Omni shouted to Impulse. "Quick, somebody call a priest! A reverend! A pizza place, because I'm hungry!"

* * *

Seren, once a teenage merman who was now cursed with humanity thanks to Felix Faust, had finally gotten used to his two human legs enough to walk on them. He still couldn't figure out what the third incomplete leg just below his waist was for, however.

He walked out of the cave where he'd spent the last week trying to adjust to the surface. He found that since he'd been cursed he could still breathe underwater, but only temporarily. While he still possessed his strength and telepathy, his now human lungs could only survive so long under the water.

Seren walked out onto the crowded beach, fully nude, and the crowd started staring at him. Mothers were covering their children's eyes and others were staring in jealousy at Seren's size as he walked along. After a few minutes, Seren grew tired of the attention he was getting and realized that to fit in he'd need to dress like the humans.

He grabbed a pair of green swim trunks and made his way off the beach. He had to find Felix Faust and force him to remove the curse so he could go home and find his mother's killer...

* * *

"Next," Damage said in a tired voice. Four hours and they still hadn't found their seventh member.

A few seconds passed and no one approached.

"Next?" Damage asked again.

"Down here!" The teens looked down at the table and saw two lab mice standing there, dressed in blue and white spandex with capes.

"Names?" Wonder Girl asked as she was barely able to hold her laughter.

"I am... Noodle Noggin. And my power is to baffle the criminal element with my intelligence," the shorter mouse said. "And this is my sidekick, NarfMan."

"Narf!" the other mouse said while laughing.

"His power is to make you want to hit him repeatedly," the first mouse said, tiredly.

"You're kind of small, aren't you?" Superboy asked.

"We're... distant cousins of the Atom," Noodle Noggin said.

"We'll put you on the call back list," Omni told them.

"I know what that means. When you say you'll call that means we have no chance. Come, Narf Man, we must return to our cage and prepare for tomorrow night." Noodle Noggin said as Narf Man followed.

"Why, Brain, what are we going to do tomorrow night?" Narf Man asked.

"The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world!"

 _They're dinky, they're Pinky and the Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain_

"This bites!" Impulse said in defeat. "We've seen at least a hundred applicants and all of them are duds."

"I don't know," Superboy said wistfully. "Shirtless Girl looked liked she had potential." Wonder Girl looked at him without blinking. "I mean to, um... join another team?"

Just then a hero wearing a red and blue costume with some kind of arachnid on his chest landed in front of them after doing some incredible acrobatics.

"Wow," Omni said. "That looks so cool. What's your name?"

The hero was about to speak when he saw a lawyer standing across the street, shaking his head "no". Then the hero shot some sort of weird liquid out of his hand and swung away.

"Who was that guy?" Impulse asked.

"I don't know," Omni replied. "But he was awfully friendly for this neighborhood."

* * *

Luke McDunnagh was eyeing the girls walking past him in the hallway as he headed to his next class. He was like a kid in a candy store in the halls of UCLA and couldn't decide which delicious goody to settle on as the girls walked past.

Luke was only 16 but was also incredibly smart for his age. Too bad he spent most of his focusing on girls and having fun than his studies, yet somehow managed to graduate two years early and get into a good school. Of course how he pulled that off was another story.

"Mr. McDunnagh," Professor Gandalf, one of the University's oldest professors, said as he approached the young man. "I trust your mind is focused on the big calculus test this Friday. Need I remind you that you need no less than an A on this test."

"Yeah, and what happens if I fail?" the young man asked.

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Professor Gandalf shouted.

* * *

Damage was resting his head on the table, Omni and Impulse were both leaning back in their chairs, and Robin, Wonder Girl and Superboy were trying not to go insane from all the applicants that were applying, and promptly failing, the tryouts.

"Where are the heavy hitters?" Superboy asked. "Where's CM3? Batgirl? Supergirl? Where are all these losers coming from?"

"I think it's time we gave up for today," Robin told them as he stood up. "It's obvious this just isn't our day to-"

It was then that a helicopter appeared from out of nowhere and several armed guards poured out.

"Titans, we've been instructed to bring you with us," the lead soldier told them.

"Bring us where?" Robin asked as he got ready to fight.

"To D.E.O. Headquarters," the soldier replied. "Director Bones wishes to meet with you."

"Bones?" Superboy asked. "I wonder what ol' skull head wants?"

"No," Omni said nervously. "I'm not going to D.E.O. Headquarters."

"You alright?" Damage asked as he noticed Omni was visibly shaken. "Nobody's forcing you to go." Damage looked at the others. "You guys go, I'll stay here with Cam."

"Actually, it might just be better if three of us go," Robin replied. "Cassie, Connor, we'll check it out. The rest of you hang back in case we need you."

* * *

 _"They're dumb enough to actually split their team up?"_

 _"They're naive and unfocused. They lack what their predecessors had."_

 _"Whatever, I just want them destroyed."_

 _"As long as I receive my... payment, the Titans will fall."_

* * *

Grant brought Cameron a soda as they sat on the steps outside of their dorm room.

"Want to talk about it?" Grant asked as he sat down next to Cam. "You looked pretty upset when they brought up the D.E.O."

"I- I thought they were coming to take me back," Cameron whispered as he looked down into the can. "The D.E.O. raised me for most of my life. They were going to use me as a weapon."

"Kind of like what Vandal Savage had in store for me," Grant replied as he put an arm around Cam's shoulder. "Look, no matter happens, I swear that I'll never let those guys take you back."

"Really?" Cam asked as he looked up.

"Look, you're annoying, you butcher good songs when try to sing with them on the radio, and you really need to stop leaving your underwear in the kitchen, but...you're my friend," Grant told him. "And you helped me when I needed it. The Teen Titans have always been about family. In a...warped way that kind of makes us like brothers."

"I always wanted a brother," Cam told him as he hugged Grant. "Having a plant for a sister isn't as great as it sounds."

* * *

Robin, Wonder Girl and Superboy were taken to D.E.O. Headquarters, where they were led to the office of Director Bones. As the man in the chair turned around, a skeletal figure with a cigar hanging from the skull's mouth greeted them.

"Welcome, Titans," Bones said. "Can I offer you a drink?"

"What do you want from us?" Robin asked as he approached the desk.'

"Oh, it's not what we want from you," Bones replied. If he had the ability, he'd have smiled. "It's what we want to give to _you_."

* * *

Terry was at the beach, retracing Andy's steps. The last time anyone had seen him was when he left the bonfire on Friday night. Somewhere between the beach and the dorms, where Andy's car had been found parked, Andy had vanished.

"Where are you?" Terry asked as he saw Bart and his boyfriend Cody Wyatt walking along the beach.

"Yeah, the tryouts pretty much sucked," Bart told him as they walked along the empty beach. "But you know Robin-"

"Actually I don't," Cody replied as he looked out over the water.

"Oh, yeah," Bart said with a laugh as they walked along the sand just as Terry approached them.

"Have you guys seen Andy?" Terry asked, giving Bart a cold stare. "He's been missing since Friday."

"No," Cody replied worriedly: He'd grown up with Andy; they were like brothers. "I hope he's all right. Are the police searching?"

"The police are a joke," Terry told him. "Apparently a missing student's not high on their list of priorities."

"I know some people who can help search," Bart told him. "We can organize search parties and stuff."

"That'd be great," Terry told him. "Look...Andy's my best friend. He's the only guy in the world I trust. If something happened to him, I'd never forgive myself."

"Dude, chill, we'll find him," Cody assured him. "Come on, Bart, let's get home so you can call your...friends."

Terry watched Cody drag Bart off. There was something he definitely did not like about Bart Allen.

* * *

"We should probably go make sure Robin and the others are all right," Grant said as he finished his soda and stood up. "Unless you don't want to go."

"No, I think I need to face my fears," Cam told him as he stood up just a laser blast knocked them off the apartment steps.

"Oh, isn't that cute?" Gizmo, a short man dressed in green spandex said as he was held up by four giant mechanical spider legs protruding from his backpack. "Two Teen Titans having an emotional moment."

Mammoth and Jinx stood next to him, getting ready to charge forward.

* * *

Bart got into his Impulse costume and kissed Cody's cheek. "I'll be back soon."

"I'll have the pizza waiting," Cody promised him. As soon as he rushed out the front door of the dorm's building, a dart hit him in the neck and Impulse fell forward, hitting the ground hard. He tried to move, but found he was paralyzed.

"Hello, cousin," Inertia said as Dr. Light and Deathstroke stood next to him. "Long time, no see."

* * *

Director Bones was leading Robin, Superboy and Wonder Girl into the lower levels on the D.E.O. Headquarters.

"As you know, Titans West has recently disbanded," Bone said as Robin looked around. "Most of them have simply vanished or are trying to live normal lives."

"Or they don't want to be found," Robin told him. "Who can blame them after what happened?*"

"Yes, well, all of their surviving members were free to move on," Bones replied as they reached a large metal door. "All except one."

The door started to creak open as the guards loaded their guns, just to be safe.

"Titans, meet your newest member," Bones said as Robin, Wonder Girl and Superboy saw a teenage boy sitting in a cell, wearing a teal and black costume, with long shaggy blonde hair. His hands and feet were heavily chained. His head was hanging so that all they could see was a shadowy face staring at them with dead brown eyes.

 _"Risk."_

 **To Be Continued...**


	11. Risk It All, Part 2

**"Risk It All, Part 2"**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 _Titans Roll Call_

 _Robin, the Boy Wonder_

 _Superboy, the Teen of Steel_

 _Impulse, the Fastest Boy Alive_

 _Wonder Girl, the Young Amazon_

 _Damage, the Human Explosive_

 _Omni, the Power Mimic_

 _Risk, the Thrillseeker_

 _Offspring, the Shapeshifting son of Plastic Man_

 _D.E.O. Headquarters_

"This is a joke, right?" Superboy asked as he looked at Risk sitting in the cell. The young man looked as if he'd been there for a while, judging from his long shaggy blonde hair and unshaved facial hair. "Ashton Kutcher's waiting to tell us we're being Punk'd, isn't he?"

"You seriously want us to take a felon into the Titans?" Robin asked as he looked over at Director Bones.

"I told you they weren't going to go for it," Risk said in a low tone as he sat in the cell. "You barely got Titans West to take me."

"Before you make your decision, I think you should see something," Bones told the trio. "It might just change your mind."

"Shouldn't we have the others here?" Wonder Girl asked as she looked in Robin's direction. "I thought you wanted a new member to be approved by the whole team?"

"Omni, Damage and Impulse will all have their chance to vote," Robin assured her as they followed Bones. Risk was led after them by the guards, still heavily chained. "Let them enjoy their downtime right now."

* * *

 _Inertia's Futuristic Lab_

"I was cloned from Bart's own DNA in the 30th Century. I spent several years in a tube, learning everything I could at a snail's pace until I was in every way 1,000 times better than him. And do you know what the first thing they told me was when I opened my eyes on my first day out?" Inertia asked as he stood in front of his high tech computer, Craydl. "They said I only had one purpose in life, and that was to destroy Bart Allen. That that was all I was designed for."

"Enough of your biography. When do we get to destroy the Titans?" Dr. Light asked impatiently as he sat at a table.

"Patience, Dr. Light," Inertia told him. "This is all part of a carefully laid plan. The destruction of the Titans has to be done skillfully."

"And you're sure this 'carefully laid plan' will work?" Deathstroke asked in an annoyed tone, still not believing he'd been talked into this. He looked around the lab, his photographic memory detailing everything.

"It's fool proof," Inertia replied as he turned around from the computer. "While Mammoth, Gizmo and Jinx were distracting the other Titans, we were able to acquire our main objective. Isn't that right, Bart?"

Inertia looked up at a large tube, where Bart Allen was floating inside, surrounded by a green gel, with a gas mask attached to his face to keep him sedated and several IV's attached to his arms and a heart monitor on his bare chest.

* * *

 _The Campus of UCLA_

Grant's hands were glowing with blue energy as he rushed forward and punched Mammoth, who only laughed as he grabbed Grant by the neck and threw him through a tree. Mammoth charged toward the spot where Grant had landed, hoping to land another blow before Grant was able to stand.

Not too far away, Gizmo stomped toward Cam, who had morphed into his Omni costume. Omni rolled out of the way as Gizmo's spider-like metallic legs shot down at him.

"Hold still, geek, so I can impale you properly," Gizmo told him.

"Do I look stupid?" Omni asked as he dodged the legs. "Wait, don't answer that."

Near the street, Jinx was watching the fight and was growing bored. She wanted a piece of the fight, but there were only two Titans. That's when she saw something interesting coming her way. It was a charging rhino and it was heading right toward Mammoth.

"Finally, things are getting interesting," Jinx said as she stamped her foot on the ground and sent a tremor crackling through the pavement, knocking the rhino off course. It started morphing into the form of a teenage boy wearing a costume similar to Plastic Man's, only blue and black, as he slid into the side of a car.

"Ow," Luke McDunnagh said as he stood up and saw Jinx doing a cartwheel towards him, sending mystical bolts flying at him.

* * *

Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl and Risk were sitting around a table in a conference room as a T.V. and VCR were brought in.

"So, how'd you end up back with the D.E.O.?" Wonder Girl asked as she looked over at Risk.

"I tried to run," Risk told her as he looked down at the chains around his hands. "My mother was sick and I needed to take care of her. She died a week after I came home. They arrested me before I even made it to the funeral."

"Is that it?" Superboy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I might have knocked over a few convenience stores to help pay her medical bills," Risk replied as if it were nothing.

"This video was delivered about two weeks after Titans West went their separate ways," Bones said as he put the tape in. There was snow on the screen as the 'Star Wars' theme song started playing as the image of a garage appeared, followed by Bones jumping from out of nowhere with a lightsaber in his hand, attacking a mannequin as he made a "Woosh!" sound.

Bones' jaw dropped as he quickly ejected the tape as he looked at the teens around the table. "Wro- wrong tape."

He quickly put another tape in and pushed 'Play'. The image on the screen soon showed the image of a young man with green skin and hair.

 _"Hello, Titans,"_ Garfield Logan said as he looked into the camera.

* * *

Luke's legs stretched as his body shot up to avoid the mystic bolt that flew through his legs. He swerved his hips and ducked his head, his elastic body ducking and dodging the bolts as Jinx continued firing at him.

Meanwhile, Grant was putting all his strength into hitting Mammoth, but nothing was working. His adrenaline was pumping harder the more he hit the villain and his knuckles were starting to bleed as Mammoth laughed.

"Silly Titan," Mammoth said as he picked Grant up by the shirt. "You can't hurt me."

Grant's leg reared back before shooting forward, nailing Mammoth in the groin as hard as he could. His eyes rolled back as he dropped Grant before saying in a high-pitched voice. "Okay, maybe you can."

Gizmo continued stomping toward Omni before Omni dove between the mechanical legs, landing behind Gizmo. Before he could turn around, Omni jumped and climbed onto Gizmo's back, covering his eyes.

"Hey, get off of me, you freak!" Gizmo shouted as he blindly stumbled around. Omni jumped off just as Gizmo stumbled forward and landed face first in a fountain.

Grant got a few more punches in on Mammoth before picking him up and throwing him into the fountain alongside Gizmo. Jinx was trying to use her powers to hit Luke, who morphed into a Jack in the Box, just as a clown head sprung out and hit her, knocking her into the others.

"Let's take these guys in," Grant said as he cracked his knuckles. "I hope the police have something strong enough to-"

A bright flash of light blinded the three heroes temporarily. When they were able to see again, the villains were gone.

* * *

Mammoth, Gizmo and Jinx returned to Inertia's lab, soaking wet.

"We had them!" Mammoth shouted as Gizmo sat on his back.

"You smell like wet dog," Gizmo told him as he held his nose as he climbed off.

"You were just supposed to distract the Titans," Inertia informed them. "We got what we were after."

"He's cute," Jinx said as she looked at Bart floating inside the tube. "What are you going to do with him?"

"Make him suffer," Inertia replied as he looked at his helpless cousin. "But first we're going to kill the Titans while he watches. That's the purpose of bringing all of you here."

Inertia turned toward the villains he'd assembled. "The Titans worst enemies are going to brutally destroy them, all while Impulse is forced to watch, knowing he can't do anything. The plan is that everything he knows and loves will be taken from him as he watches. First the Teen Titans, then Jay Garrick and the Wests. And just when he thinks it's over, I'm going to deliver the most devastating blow to his girlfriend Carol as he watches before I kill her. And once his world is completely shattered, only then will I kill him."

"And what makes you think the Titans will fall so easily?" Deathstroke asked. "I've been fighting the Titans for years and I've learned to never underestimate them, especially when there's a Robin involved."

"I've been planning for Bart's death ever since the minute I was born," Inertia replied. "Ever since he was with Young Justice I've been plotting and planning the perfect way to destroy him. This isn't just some simple revenge scheme; it's my destiny."

Gizmo looked at Mammoth and made a 'He's nuts' motion.

* * *

 _"It's been two days since I lost Tara,"_ Gar said as the Titans watched the video. His voice sounded tired and he looked like he hadn't slept in a while. _"She was the love of my life. Without her... I don't know how to go on. Titans West is on the verge of disbanding, it has been for a while. But I've never been prouder to work with a group of heroes._

 _I know all of the team members in both of our groups are going to do great things, and that includes Cody Driscoll. He's got his... flaws, but the Titans have always been about family, and Risk needs that more than anyone. He needs a place where he can grow and learn how to be the man I know he can be._

 _I don't know who will be on the Titan's roster by the time this video is shown to you, but I hope that whoever you are, you'll see it in your hearts to take Risk in and give him the home that Titans West once was to him. He has too much potential to let it go waste in a D.E.O. holding cell."_

Risk turned his head, trying not to let anyone see the tears that were starting to form. He respected Gar, but he had never known that the feeling was mutual.

 _"Take care of Cody, Titans,"_ Gar requested. " _All of you are family. Watch out for each other."_

The screen went blank as the video ended before the lights went up.

"Are you crying?" Superboy asked as he looked at Risk.

"No," Risk told him as he wiped the tears away. "I- I'm just getting used to the light again."

Robin looked around to his teammates. "I vote we take Risk in, at least on a probationary period."

"I second it," Wonder Girl replied as she looked over at Risk. "I think he deserves a chance, and I know Impulse and Omni will vote him in."

"I don't know," Superboy replied. "Do we really need another powerhouse? I mean, we already have me and Damage, and Omni to a certain extent. And where's he going to stay? We don't have a headquarters, and, no, I'm going to hang out in that place Omni and Impulse found for us."

* * *

 _Outside of the UCLA Campus sat a small wooden shack with a poorly painted sign._

 _ **He-Man Villain Haters Club**_

* * *

"We'll work something out," Robin told him. "And we could use him since you spend most of your time in Smallville. But you need to be on your best behavior, Risk."

"I'll be good, I swear," Risk replied quietly. "It's not like I have any reason not to act out now that my Mom's gone. She was all I had."

"You've got the Titans, now," Cassie replied as she looked over at him. "Just try to get along with everyone, alright?"

"He'll be wearing the standard monitors to make sure he doesn't run off," Bones told the group. "But other than that, he'll be free to work with the rest of you. Is that alright with you, Mr. Driscoll?"

"Are you kidding?" Risk asked as he looked up. "I'd give my right arm to see the sun again."

* * *

Grant looked around the damaged area where he'd been fighting members of the brotherhood alongside Cameron and a new kid. He looked over at Luke and raised an eyebrow.

"Who- what- the hell are you?" Grant asked as he looked the boy over.

"The name's Offspring," The young man replied. "You might have heard of me. Son of Plastic Man? Met Batman when he set me straight from a life of wrong doing?"

"Nope, never heard of you," Omni said as he morphed back into his street clothes.

"Me, either," Grant said as he looked at the fountain where the trio of villains had vanished. "We'd better call Robin and report this in. Offswitch-"

"Offspring,"

"Whatever, you want to come with us?" Grant asked. "We could probably use you if those guys show up again."

"WOULD I?!" Offspring asked happily as stretched his arms out and pulled Grant and Cameron close to him. "We're going to be the best of friends, I just know it!"

"Is he a relative of yours?" Grant asked as he looked at Cam.

* * *

In Inertia's lab, Mammoth, Gizmo, Jinx, Dr. Light and Deathstroke were gathered around a table.

"I just want the Titans captured and brought back here," Inertia instructed. "Mammoth, you'll bring in Superboy; Jinx, go after Wonder Girl; Gizmo, you'll take down Omni; Dr. Light, you'll take care of Damage, and Deathstroke, Robin's your's."

"And what about you?" Deathstroke asked. "What will you do while we're doing all the work?"

"Preparing the Titan's destruction at your hands," Inertia replied with a twisted grin on his face. "Once you bring them back here, my idiot cousin will be just be lucid enough to see them die one by one, each death killing him inside just a little. And don't forget, Deathstroke, you're payment is riding on you pulling off your end of the deal."

"I haven't forgotten," Deathstroke coldly replied as he held his gun toward Inertia's kneecap. "Just don't double-cross me, boy. Even speedsters have weaknesses."

* * *

"I don't like this," Superboy said as they returned to the UCLA Campus. "He's not even a college student."

"Neither are you," Wonder Girl replied with a smirk. "At least Risk could attend college if he wanted."

"Funny," Superboy replied in a whisper.

"I had to call in a few favors through Oracle," Robin told him. "I got Risk an empty dorm room where he can stay and we can an eye on him. He'll be attending classes with us."

"Wait, how?" Risk asked as he looked at Robin. "I'm a dirt poor trailer park kid. I don't even have 2 cents to rub together."

"It turns out that Gar was prepared for you," Robin replied as he handed Risk an envelope. "He left you some money so you could go to whatever college Jason Parker was attending, but since he's at NYU and we need you here..."

"Gar's too nice for his own good," Risk replied quietly as he tucked the envelope into his jacket. "What makes him think that I just wouldn't take the money and run?"

"Because he has faith in you," Wonder Girl replied. "Gar could always sense the good in people. He knows you can do great things, and so do we."

"Where are you getting this 'we' stuff?" Superboy asked them. "I still have doubts about this. And don't forget, three of our members still haven't voted him in."

It was then that Superboy's cell phone started ringing with Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me A River'. Robin, Risk and Wonder Girl just stared at him blankly.

"Dammit, Kenny's been messing with my ring tone," Superboy said as he answered. "Hello?... Hey, Martha... Yes, I'll be home for dinner... Pick up milk? I thought we lived on a farm?... Alright, alright, I'll pick up milk along the way home... Please don't call me 'sweetheart'."

Superboy hung up as he looked at the others. He took off into the air without looking back. "Duty calls. I'll catch you guys later."

"And I have to get ready for my date," Wonder Girl replied as she took to the air as well. "I'll call you tomorrow to see how Risk is doing."

"Looks like it's just us," Robin replied as he watched Wonder Girl fly off. A sudden thud was heard as Robin quickly turned around and saw Risk was passed out on the ground, a dart lodged in his neck.

"Don't worry, it's just a sleeping agent," Deathstroke said as he stepped out of the shadows. "Hello, Robin."

* * *

Superboy was flying toward S.T.A.R. Labs to hitch a ride home on the teleporter when a large shadow loomed over him. He looked up just in time for Mammoth's massive form to come crashing down on top of him, creating a human sized crater in the ground.

* * *

Wonder Girl returned home to her dorm, and was getting ready to walk through the building's entrance when the door exploded, sending her flying back, just as Jinx came cart wheeling out, kicking Wonder Girl in the jaw.

* * *

Grant, Cam and Luke were heading toward Tim's dorm when a bright flash of light blinded them.

"What's going on?" Grant asked as he rubbed his eyes. When his vision started coming back into focus, he saw Cam was gone, and Dr. Light was floating over him, shooting deadly prisms of light toward the ground. Luke was trying to readjust his eyes and ran into a tree, falling backwards behind Grant.

* * *

Cameron rubbed his eyes and saw Gizmo flying towards him with a rocket pack. He rammed Cam in the stomach, knocking him backward into a fountain.

"Not so tough when you don't have powers to leech off of, huh?" Gizmo asked as he flew back around and hit Cam in the back, knocking him forward into the fountain.

* * *

Inertia laughed as he watched the five different view screens of the Titans being attacked. He turned and looked up at Bart, who was floating helplessly in the green gel.

"Don't worry, cousin, your friends won't die, yet," Inertia told him with a laugh. "They've still got a good few hours left to live out their pathetic existence. Then after they're dead, the torture really begins."

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	12. Risk It All, Part 3

_Previously, Inertia launched an all out strike against the Titans! The evil cloned counterpart to Impulse hired Deathstroke the Terminator, Mammoth, Jinx, Gizmo and Dr. Light to take out the Titans and bring them to Inertia's secret lair, all as part of Inertia's elaborate plan to destroy Bart Allen._

 _Inertia has already completed the first part of his evil scheme by capturing Impulse and trapping him in suspended animation, helpless as his friends fall prety to Inertia's schemes. As the Titans fight for their lives, we now take a look into the mind of a comatose Bart Allen..._

 **Titans Forever #12**

 **"Risk It All, Part Three"**

 _With Special Guest Co-Author David Brashear_

As the Titans fought for their lives against Inertia's hired lackeys, Inertia remained safely in his lair, watching over the combatants. He smirked evily to himself as he took a break and wandered over to the glass cylinder holding his comatose cousin, Impulse.

He had wires attached to his bare chest to monitor his heartbeat, and an oxygen mask over his mouth as the hero floated in the green gel like substance. He was unconscious to the world, lost in his own dreams. Inertia lightly tapped the glass, like a child would on a bowl of goldfish.

"What are you dreaming of in there, cousin?" Inertia asked. "Are you dreaming of your little girlfriend? Or of your idiot friends? Oh, to know what sickeningly sweet thoughts are running through your head right now."

As Inertia watched him, Bart continued to dream of the past...

* * *

 _Two Years Ago, shortly before the break-up of Young Justice_

"How could you do this?" Carol yelled as she threw the magazine at Bart while they stood in his bedroom. While Bart had gone to the little speedster's room, Carol had noticed a magazine sticking out from under Bart's bed. If it had been a Playboy, she might have forgiven him, after all, what teenage boy didn't read a Playboy at least once?

But this was a Playgirl.

"What do you mean?" Bart asked.

"This!" She grabbed the magazine, opened it and shoved the centerfold into his face. "Am I that ugly?"

"Carol," Bart said as he pushed the magazine away. He wasn't completely sure why he was looking at the magazine. Lately his teenage hormones had been catching up to his 5 year old body and he didn't know how to control it. "You don't understand. I'm just…"

"Forget it," Carol said as tears ran down her cheeks in spite of her fury. "You're just gone. I'm not going to let you play your games with me anymore. I never want to see you again."

"But I love you," Bart whispered as he began crying as well. He was still confused about the emotions running through him. He loved Carol but, at the same, seeing those pictures gave him feelings that were conflicting for him, and deep down Carol had started to realize that Bart might be bi-sexual. She loved Bart, but she knew that if she didn't let him go now and he realized that he was gay later... No, she had to end things now before she was hurt even worse.

"No," Carol said. "I loved you…but you obviously don't love me or you wouldn't be looking at pictures like that!" Carol's face went red as she exploded. "You wouldn't be looking at men like that if you loved me!" Carol turned and ran out of the house, leaving Bart crying in the middle of his bedroom.

* * *

"You broke up with your girlfriend? Damn, dude, I'm sorry," Superboy said as they were fighting in the training room.

"It hurts, I really loved her," Impulse said as Superboy tossed him to the ground.

"So, what broke you two up? She couldn't handle the double life?" Superboy asked as Impulse sat up. He wasn't his usual happy self, which Superboy found disturbing.

"Something like that," Impulse told him. He knew he couldn't tell his friends the truth about what he was going through. Not after the way Carol looked at him after she found the magazine.

* * *

A few weeks later, Bart and Preston were filming a homemade movie at the railroad tracks. Preston's dream was to get into movie making and Bart was glad to help. It was the summer before junior year and Carol had gone away for the summer to travel with her brother.

Bart made it a point to run all the way across the ocean to see her whenever he got a spare moment. As he was setting up the camera, Preston was checking out the train tracks to make sure the shot would be right. As he walked, his shoe got stuck in the rail just a train was approaching.

Bart looked up from the camera and saw Preston was in trouble, struggling to get free. He ran forward, pulling Preston out of his shoe just as the train rushed by. Both young men fell into the grass, tumbling down the hill until they came to a stop.

"That was close," said Bart as he was lying on top of Preston. "Are you all right?"

Preston just stared up into Bart's eyes and pulled him down into a kiss. Bart had no idea what was going on but didn't resist. It was then that Bart realized that he was actually enjoying what was going on.

* * *

Later that day, the rest of Young Justice had just finished taking down Killer Croc, who was terrorizing the city. All but Impulse, who was flat on his back after taking a punch from the villain, one he should been able to easily avoid.

"Bart, this isn't like you, you should have seen that punch coming a mile away," Robin said as he helped him up. "Are you okay?"

"No," Impulse whispered. "I'm not."

"Want to talk about it?" Robin asked as the others took Killer Croc away.

"You wouldn't understand," Impulse said as he ran off. Robin just sighed as he realized he had to get to the bottom of this before whatever was going on destroyed his friend.

* * *

"Bart, look at me,"

"I am looking at you,"

"You're reading a comic book,"

"I'm a multi-tasker,"

Preston sighed as he grabbed the comic book away from Bart. "We need to talk about... what happened."

"Can you narrow it down?" Bart asked. "We've been doing a lot for your movie."

"We kissed," Preston awkwardly said.

"Oh... that," Bart said as he reached for his comic.

"Bart, I... liked it," Preston told him. "I liked it... a lot. I didn't want to say anything because of what happened with Carol, but... I've liked you for a long time. I just never said anything because you were into her so much."

"I like you, too, we're best friends," Bart told him with a laugh. "What does us liking each other have to do with anything?"

"No, I mean, I LIKE you," Preston said. "I mean, as in... I liked kissing you. As in... I'd like to do it again."

"I really liked it, too," Bart said as he ran a hand through his hair. "I shouldn't be liking boys, Pres. But when I'm with you, I don't know, I feel like-"

Preston pulled him into a kiss as Bart closed his eyes.

* * *

Bart and Preston had been secretly dating for two weeks, neither unsure of how to tel ltheir friends and family that they had fallen in love, although Bart still had feelings for Carol. But there was no way she'd take him back now. Besides, she was already making plans to transfer to another school. He'd hurt her, the first true love of his life.

Now whenever he looked into Preston's eyes, he saw something that made hi m want to protect that love with everything he had.

"I won't lose this one," Bart promised himself. "I'll be 100% faithful, I'll treat him like a prince. Maybe if I love him hard enough, he'll never want to leave me. And 'll start by telling him who I really am. He needs to know that I'm Impulse."

Bart had left the letter on Preston's locker, but the more he wrote, the more he wanted to confess his love. Three pages and a well written love poem later, Bart got around to the point and told Preston to meet him in the park on the swings. He'd dressed up in his best clothes, and was holding a rose in his hand. If Preston understood his double life, then he'd ask Preston to officially be his boyfriend and let their friends and family know about them.

The seconds ticked by, which turned into minutes, which turned into hours. It was almost midnight as Bart started to realize that Preston wasn't coming. He'd never sat still that long for anyone or anything, but when it came to Preston, he had all the patience in the world. He started to worry and rushed towards Preston's house, where he saw the police cars and ambulance workers on the sidewalk.

"What's going on?" Bart asked, still holding the rose.

"Kid fell and snapped his neck," the officer told him. "Died instantly."

Bart saw the cloak covered body, only seeing the shoes. The shoes that belonged to his boyfriend.

"No," Bart whispered as the rose fell to the ground. "NO!"

It wasn't long after that Young Justice had disbanded, leaving Bart Allen truly alone.

* * *

It was six months later, which seemed like twelve eternities for Bart. He'd given up on life, and only left the house to walk to school and back. No Carol, no Preston, no Young Justice, and Wally was busy with his own kids now. His guardian Max had tried everything to get Bart to start enjoying life again, but it was no use. Bart had taken that part of himself and buried it deep inside of his soul, and it was slowly eating away at him. It would only be a matter of time before it completely destroyed Bart. For the time in his life, he was feeling true emotional pain and he hated every second of it.

"Hi, I'm Cody," said the young man as he found Bart sitting on the front porch, looking at a picture of himself and Preston, who'd recently died. "I just moved in next door. Are you all right?"

"Yeah," replied Bart sadly. "No, I mean...it's a long story."

Cody saw the picture and sat down next to Bart. "That your friend?"

"Yeah, he died six months ago," replied Bart as he looked at Cody. "He was actually more than a friend."

The two started talking and realized that they had a lot in common. Both loved comic books and video games, and both wanted to help people. Cody was going to be a doctor, and was going to go to UCLA before heading off to medical school later. It took a long time, but by the time they were about to start college, Bart was sure. He'd all but given up his life as Impulse outside of the rare Flash related crisis. All other time was devoted to Cody Wyatt. Even though both young men liked each other, they both agreed that dating so soon wouldn't be a good thing. It took almost two years, but Bart finally got up the courage to ask Cody out.

"Bart, are you serious?" asked Cody as he sat with Bart in the park the week they were to leave for UCLA. "You want us to... go out?"

"I like you, Cody," replied Bart as he ran a hand through his hair. "I haven't liked anyone like this since..."

"Preston?"

"Look, Cody, I want us to be together, but there's something you have to know if you say yes,"

"What is that...Impulse?"

"You knew!?" asked Bart in shock.

"I knew," replied Cody. Like Bart, he started devoting his every waking moment to the other young man, eventually realizing who he was when he had to sneak off. "And I don't care. It's not Impulse that I'm falling for. It's you."

The two leaned in to kiss as Bart pulled back. "Wait...what's your answer?"

"Shut up and kiss me," ordered Cody.

* * *

"You're gay?" asked Robin as he saw Impulse after almost two years of no contact.

"I'm still into girls, but I'm also in love with Cody," replied Impulse as the two were watching a warehouse as Robin waited for a robbery to happen. "There has to be word for this, but I have no idea what it is."

"Bi-sexual?"

"But I just got here," Impulse told him as Robin rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "You're the only one I've told because...I trust you."

"Your secret's safe with me," replied Robin. "So, do I get to meet this guy and give my approval?"

"Soon," promised Impulse.

"I think my guys are making their move," said Robin as he saw a truck pulling up. "Want to help?"

Impulse was already halfway across the street as Robin sighed. When would he ever learn?

* * *

"I don't know what you're dreaming about in there, cousin," Inertia said as he looked at Impulse floating helplessly in the cylinder. "But rest assured, whatever sweet dreams you are having will soon turn into your darkest nightmares."

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	13. Risk It All, Part 4

**Titans Forever #13**

 **"Risk It All, Part 4"**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 _Titans Roll Call_

 _Robin, The Boy Wonder_

 _Superboy, The Teen of Steel_

 _Impulse, Fastest Boy Alive_

 _Wonder Girl, The Young Amazon_

 _Damage, The Human Explosive_

 _Omni, The Power Mimic_

 _Risk, The Thrillseeker_

 _Offspring, Shapeshifting son of Plastic Man_

 _Apart they're just sidekicks and illigitimate children; Together they're THE TITANS! Proteges of the Justice League, whippersnappers to the JSA, and all around annoyances to the Outsiders!_

 _Previously, Inertia set forth a plan to destroy the Titans by unleashing their deadliest enemies on them, after having captured Impulse and imprisoning him. Now seperated, the Titans fight for their lives against the current threat..._

* * *

Risk lay unconscious in the grass on the UCLA campus as a powerful sedative ran through his body. Deathstroke the Terminator stood over him, his boot firmly lodged on Risk's chest.

"Hello, Robin," Deathstroke told him as he held his sword at his side. "You _do_ know who I am, right?"

"Deathstroke," Robin said as he pulled out his bo staff. "We've never had a reason to fight before, so why are you here? It's Nightwing that you have a beef with."

"True," Deathstroke replied as the two circled each other. "But I am also a bounty hunter. And I've been hired to bring you in, Boy Wonder."

Robin twirled his bo staff as he looked at the Deathstroke, whose gaze was focused solely on him.

"Who hired you?" Robin asked as he held up his staff, ready to defend himself. "Ra's Al Ghul? Two Face? The Penguin? The student loan people?"

Deathstroke laughed as he watched Robin carefully. He held his sword in his hand as the light bounced off of the metal. "You'll find out soon enough. For now, I just want to see how well trained you are compared to the original Robin. Or even if you've raised the bar since the Robin before you. Or would that be the crowbar?"

Deathstroke jumped into the air, holding his sword over Robin as he came flying down. Robin blocked with his bo staff and did a sweeping kick, knocking Deathstroke off balance, but he quickly flipped and got to his feet instantly. Underneath his mask, the bounty hunter smiled at Robin. This was going to be the challenge he'd been longing for since the last time he fought Nightwing.

* * *

Mammoth stood over the small crater where he'd landed on Superboy. He started laughing as a rumbling was heard, just as Superboy punched through the ground under him, sending the large man sent to take him down flying high into the air.

The teen of steel kept punching upward at the hairy man beast, knocking him higher into the air. Mammoth finally managed to turn and kick Superboy in the upper body, sending him back down toward the Earth, where he landed on the hood of a car, smashing it with his body. A car alarm started screeching as he looked up and saw Mammoth coming back down towards him feet first.

Superboy quickly rolled off the hood and picked the wrecked car up and swung it, knocking Mammoth down the street before he could land, where he crashed through a light pole, toppling it to land in the middle of the street.

Mammoth stood up just in time to see Superboy's fist plow into his jaw...

* * *

Gizmo was holding Cameron's head under the water of the fountain, laughing as the hero struggled to break free of his grip. There was no one around with powers to draw from, meaning he was about as powerful as a normal teenage boy.

"What's the matter?" Gizmo asked with a grin. "No powers to help you fight?"

Gizmo raised Cam's head out of the water as he tried to catch his breath. He quickly smashed his head into the man who was trying to kill him, knocking him back into the water. Cam stood up, his clothes drenched as he jumped on top of Gizmo while trying to get his breath back.

* * *

Damage continued to rub his eyes, trying to get his vision back as a blast of light knocked him off balance, and back into a tree. He rubbed his eyes again, as he thought he saw a dozen Dr. Light's headed toward him.

"They're just illusions," Damage told himself as one punched his stomach and another kicked him in the leg. "Okay, maybe not."

Damage struggled to punch back, but his fist flew through the head of the clone and out the other side. "What the-"

The clone laughed as he kneed Damage in the groin as the rest of the clones dog piled him. The real Dr. Light laughed as a rumbling came from the pile. An explosion incinerated the clones as Damage stood up, his shirt half torn from his body as he breathed heavily.

"Come on," Damage told him. "What else you got?"

Dr. Light smiled as he used the full force of his powers to fire at the Titan.

* * *

Wonder Girl fell back onto the pavement as Jinx stomped down at her. Wonder Girl quickly rolled out of the way and recovered quickly as Jinx started laughing.

"Don't tell me little ol' Wonder Girl's afraid of a challenge," Jinx teased

"Actually," Wonder Girl said as she titled her head to crack her neck, before doing the same to her knuckles. "I've been looking for someone to let loose on. Let's go, sister."

Before Jinx could do anything, Wonder Girl flew toward her at a blinding speed.

* * *

Inertia watched his view screen as the Titans fought against his hired helpers. Bart Allen continued to float helplessly in the glass tube behind him, his eyes closed, not knowing anything about what was happening outside.

"Too bad you're not awake to see this," Inertia said as he turned to look at his cousin. "I want you to see me ruin your life the way you ruined mine."

Inertia put his hand and the tank and looked at his identical twin cousin.

"I was created solely for the purpose of destroying you," Inertia told him, knowing Bart couldn't hear his words. "I wasn't allowed to pick my own destiny, or make my own choices. It was always about you, and destroying your damned legacy. I spent years learning, planning, thinking of ways to destroy you long before we even came to face to face. My hatred for you goes far beyond what they put into me. No, I don't just hate you because that's what I was made for. I hate you because once you're dead, I have no reason or purpose unless I take over your life."

Bart simply floated in the tube, lost in his own dreams.

"When you're dead, I'll have nothing left but what remains of your former life," Inertia told him. "That's why I'm going to take my time killing you. The longer you live, the longer I have a purpose."

* * *

 _Downtown Los Angeles_

In a cramped apartment, a small capuchin monkey was eating a peanut as a young man was working on a device on a tripod in the middle of the living room. The monkey shrieked as sparks flew out of the machine.

"Quiet, Gleek, I'm trying to get this machine working," Zan said as he looked toward the divider between the living room and kitchen, where the monkey was sitting. The monkey tossed the peanut at a lamp, knocking it down, barely missing Zan's head.

"You're dead, chimp," Zan said as the monkey started screaming, just as the door opened.

A young woman who looked just like Zan, walked in, removing the purple knit cap from her head, revealing her long black hair and pointed ears. She was carrying a bag of groceries.

"I'm starving," Zan said as Jayna reached into the bag and tossed him a jar of peanut butter. He removed his glove and formed an ice spoon with one of his fingers as he started eating, while keeping an eye on Gleek.

"How's the device coming?" Jayna asked as she stocked the cabinets with several jars of peanut butter, honey, and Red Bull.

"Great, but we're still missing some key components," Zan replied with a mouthful of peanut butter.

"Just get the device as close to completion as you can and we'll make a supply run together this evening," Jayna replied as she stroked Gleek's back.

"I hate that damn monkey," Zan said as Gleek hissed at him.

"This monkey is the only being on this planet that I care for," Jayna replied as she kissed Gleek's head. When she wasn't looking, the monkey made a throat slashing gesture at Zan, whose jaw just dropped. "Now, hurry up, I want to get off of this planet as soon as possible."

* * *

Deathstroke's sword came down as Robin blocked it with his bo staff. He pushed against the bounty hunter's 6'5" frame, the two circling, trying to gain the upper hand against the other.

"You're better than I give you credit for," Deathstroke said as he pushed Robin back against a tree and swung his sword. The boy wonder ducked as the sword sliced through the wood like it were cutting paper. Robin leaped over Deathstroke's head, landing behind him, doing a quick kick, knocking him off guard.

"You'll have to hit harder than that," the bounty hunter said as reached into his belt and pulled out some smoke pellets. "Let's see how handle flying blind, bird boy."

Deathstroke threw the pellets to the ground, creating a large smoky screen around the two. Robin held his bo staff close and listened around him for his opponent.

* * *

Superboy's fists continued to slam into Mammoth's monstrous form, knocking him back inch by inch as the villain laughed.

"Do you really think you can hurt me?" Mammoth asked as he absorbed the hero's punches like they were nothing.

"I don't have to hurt you," Superboy replied as he pushed Mammoth farther back, not realizing as Mammoth attached a metal disk to his sleeve. "I just have to get you into position..."

Superboy got Mammoth right underneath a cement mixer and focused his tactile telekinisis to dump the fast drying mixture over his opponent. He took a deep breath and used a burst of super breath to dry it even faster until only a cement block remained.

* * *

Wonder Girl punched at Jinx, who jumped and flipped out of the way while laughing. She stomped her foot on the ground, sending a shockwave through the Earth, knocking Wonder Girl off balance. Jinx laughed as she flipped forward, kicking Wonder Girl back.

"She's limited by her contact to the ground," Wonder Girl realized as she noticed that Jinx's powers were elemental. "So I just have to get her off the ground."

Wonder Girl flew toward Jinx at full speed, picking her up off the ground just as Jinx attached a metal disc to her pant leg. Wonder Girl flew toward a lamp post and wrapped it around Jinx, keeping her trapped high above the ground.

"That should hold you," Wonder Girl said as she floated in front of the villainess.

* * *

"I don't need powers to stomp your midget ass!" Cameron shouted as he pile-drived Gizmo into the water. "All I need is my WWE knowledge and the fact I find physical violence against little people disturbingly funny! Can you smell what Omni's cooking, motherfucker!"

As Cameron continued to beat up the evil midget, Gizmo attached a small metal disc to Cameron's pant leg.

* * *

Damage was still slightly blinded by Dr. Light's attacks and was stumbling around.

"Fool, no one defeats Dr. Light!" the villain shouted as he held out his wrist laser and shot a metal disc onto the half of Damage's shirt that wasn't torn off.

"Except the Justice League," Damage reminded him as he stumbled.

"Well, yes, but-"

"And the Titans," Damage added, rubbing his eyes.

"Well-"

"And anything with a shadow," Damage continued.

"Now wait a minute-"

Damage could see clearly enough now and, realizing that he had the man distracted enough to strike, he started lifting a small tree out of the ground to use it as a bat.

"I've beaten plenty of heroes," Dr. Light said, trying to remember. "Well, I almost beat Sue Dib-"

"Lights out," Damage said as he swung at Light, knocking him halfway across campus.

* * *

"My team is getting their asses handed to them," Inertia said to himself as he watched the screen from his futuristic lair. "All's going according to plan."

* * *

Risk started coming around as Deathstroke kicked him in the face to knock him out again as he circled Robin, while the smoke screen swirled around them.

"You know, I was given a small metal disc to place on you," Deathstroke said as his voice echoed around Robin, who stood vigilantly, ready to strike. "The same one being placed on all of your friends at the moment. It carries a powerful enough charge to knock out a dozen Supermen."

"What's your point?" Robin asked as a shattered metal disc landed at the toe of his boot.

"I don't need it to defeat you," Deathstroke said as he flew out of the smoke towards Robin, who blocked his sword with staff. Robin held tight as he pressed his boot against Deathstroke's chest and fell backward, flipping the bounty hunter back into the smoke.

"It's such a shame," Deathstroke's voice continued as Robin took a deep breath. "In another ten years your skills would have surpassed those of your mentors. In twenty years you might have been as good as me."

"Again, what's your point?" Robin asked as he circled around, looking for any sign of Deathstroke to strike, getting only laughter in return.

* * *

Superboy tossed Mammoth onto the pile with Jinx, Gizmo and Dr. Light. Damage carried Offspring in his arms, having knocked himself out walking into a tree.

"Let's get someone from S.T.A.R. Labs to take these freaks in until the authorities find a zoo cage strong enough," Superboy said as looked down at the villains.

Damage laid Offpsring on a park bench and ran a hand through his hair. "This doesn't make sense. Why are these guys after us?"

"Because we're Titans," Wonder Girl told him. "They obviously hate anyone who carries that title."

Cameron shook the water off of him like a wet dog as the others started yelling at him, unaware that Gizmo had opened his eyes and pulled a remote from his backpack.

"Sayonara, suckers," Gizmo shouted as he pushed the button, activating the discs attached to the heroes, sending a large charge of energy to knock them all unconscious.

The villains started picking up the Titans as a portal to Inertia's lair opened.

"What about that one?" Jinx asked as she looked at Offspring laying on the park bench.

"Leave him," Mammoth told her. "We're only getting paid to bring these four in. If Inertia wants him, let him pay us double for the extra work."

* * *

"Who are you working for?" Robin asked as he saw a shadow move in the smoke.

"You'll find out when I take you in," Deathstroke told him.

"How much are you being paid?" Robin asked as he held out his bo staff. "Is it really worth the fight?"

"Oh, yes," Deathstroke told him as he snuck up behind Robin. "For what I'm being paid, I'd walk barefoot into hell and spit in the devil's face while smiling all the way."

Robin turned just as Deathstroke punched him in the gut, then uppercut him in the jaw, sending Robin flying to the ground, landing the boy on his knees. Robin felt blood trickling from his mouth as he looked up just in time to see Deathstroke's boot come down on his face.

"The time for games has ended," were the last words Robin heard before the darkness came...

* * *

Blurriness. That's what Robin saw as he opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness, save for a single light right above him. He was strung up to the wall with his hands over his head by a chain. His cape, gloves, boots and utility belt had all been removed, as well as the comlink piece in his ear connecting him to Oracle. His mask remained in place as he groaned in pain.

"You'll forgive me for removing all your accessories," a voice said in the darkness, "but I know how well the Batman's circle is at hiding escape devices on their bodies."

"Who-?" was all Robin could manage to say as Inertia stepped into the light, his hands behind his back. "Inertia."

"The one and only," Inertia laughed. "Well, once the guy I was cloned from is out of the picture. I left your mask as a courtesy. You have to die with some dignity, after all."

"Why are you doing this?" Robin weakly asked as Inertia laughed.

"I am VERY glad you asked. You see, unlike those twits you hang out with, including my dumbass cousin and the inbred Kryptonian clone, you're the most intelligent and skilled. Only you could appreciate my plans." Inertia told him, keeping his hands well hidden behind his back. "You see, for some reason, Bart loves all of you. You, Superboy, that delicious specimen Wonder Girl, you're his family. So what happens if his *family* dies a slow and painful death in front of him?"

"You're sick," Robin told him bluntly.

"No, I'm practical," Inertia told him as he smiled at Robin. "So I hired a bunch of nitwits to wear you down and take your friends out. I knew they wouldn't stand a chance, so I had a device made to take your friends down a few notches so I could trap them."

"Deathstroke's not a nitwit," Robin said as he raised his head. "And he doesn't come cheap. Even someone like you couldn't hire someone like him for a job like this. You're just a kid like us. He probably doesn't have an ounce of respect for you."

"Very good, Robin," Inertia said as he paced around in the darkness. "You see, you are the smartest one of the group. How would I- a scientific genius with barely enough funds to hire a group of morons to do my dirty work- manage to get one of the world's most feared and respected bounty hunters to work for me? There's only one answer for that-"

Inertia held out his hands, revealing a two foot cylinder filled with a grey and white mist. Robin looked closer and thought he saw a human looking face briefly, then realized that he'd seen the same face in the Titan's computer files Nightwing had given him. Inertia smiled as he knew Robin had just recognized the face of Joey Wilson, once known as the hero Jericho.

"- I'm holding his kid hostage,"

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	14. Risk It All Part 5

**Titans Forever #14**

 **"Risk It All, Part 5"**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 _Titans Roll Call_

 _Robin, The Boy Wonder_

 _Superboy, The Teen of Steel_

 _Impulse, The Fastest Boy Alive_

 _Wonder Girl, The Young Amazon_

 _Damage, The Human Explosive_

 _Omni, The Power Mimic_

 _Risk, The Thrillseeker_

 _Offspring, The Shapesifter_

 _Apart they're just sidekicks and illegitimate children; Together they're THE TITANS! Proteges of the Justice League, whippersnappers to the JSA, and all around annoyances to the Outsiders!_

 _Previously, Inertia, Impulse's evil cloned cousin, enacted a plan to destroy the Titan's speedster by capturing and killing Bart's friends and allies in front of him. Hiring several of the Titan's long time villains, including Deathstroke the Terminator, Inertia successfully captured most of the team. When questioned about how he acquired Deathstroke's assistance, Inertia revealed his trump card: The trapped soul of Deathstroke's son, Jericho!_

Carol Bucklen was sitting with her fiance, Micheal Hunt, at a fancy restaurant where they went to dine almost weekly. Both were in their freshman year of college and deeply in love. It was Mike who healed Carol's broken heart after her breakup with her last boyfriend, Bart Allen.

"I wonder what's taking the waiter so long with our order," Mike said as he took a drink of his water. "When he comes back, let's ask him how much longer-"

"I think he's coming now," Carol replied as the waiter flew into the middle of the table, collapsing it under his weight. Carol screamed and Mike took her hand as the monstrous Mammoth stomped toward the couple, with Gizmo and Jinx hurrying behind him.

"That's her," Mammoth said as Mike stood in front of his girl. The young man took off his jacket and balled up his fists as he got ready to fight, the adrenaline rush hitting him hard. He knew he wouldn't walk away from this, but maybe he could buy Carol time to run.

"You're going to have to go through-" was all Mike could say before Mammoth simply swiped at him and, in a matter of seconds, Mike was thrown out the window into the shrubbery outside. Carol screamed as the trio went for her...

* * *

 _The UCLA Campus_

Risk opened his eyes when the bucket of cold liquid hitting him in the face. He sat up, his hair soaked through as he spit out the liquid onto the grass.

"Why'd you dump cold water on me!?" Risk shouted as he saw a younger teenager standing next to him with a bucket in hand

"Yes... water," Offspring said innocently before tossing the bucket away. "You were passed out and I can't find any of the Titans."

"I was with Robin when something hit me," Risk said as he rubbed his neck where the dart had hit him. "Are we the only two left?"

"I guess," Offspring replied as he as he plastered a smile on his face. "We're the Titans now!"

"Wrong, short shit," Risk said as he picked the younger boy up so he could stare him in the face. "I'M the Titans and you're headed home while I find my team."

"Yeah, but…" Offspring started to say as Risk stretched him out like a rubber band and shot him into the air.

* * *

Robin struggled with the chains holding him as Inertia stood in front of the Boy Wonder holding a container that held the soul of Jericho, Deathstroke the Terminator's long thought dead son. Robin looked around the darkened room, trying to develop an escape plan. The only light came from a single fixture above him and there was a security camera on the far wall, keeping an eye on him. No doubt Inertia could be from the control room to him in less than a few seconds if he tried anything.

"How?" was all Robin could ask as he stared into the container. How could Inertia have the soul of Jericho trapped so easily?

"It wasn't easy," Inertia said as he put the container out of Robin's view. "I had to be very careful in doing this so as to not mess up the time stream. You see, I knew that at one point I might need... outside help. Sure, it's easy to hire lugnuts like Mammoth and Dr. Light, but for someone with an actual brain like Deathstroke? I needed something shiny to really catch his eye..."

Inertia came closer toward Robin and faced his enemy. "You see, the trip to this century was a one way ticket, so before I left, I used some 30th century technology to nab Joey Wilson's soul just as he'd been gutted by his dear old dad, much in the same way my grandmother Iris's parents retrieved her soul when my idol, Proffessor Zoom, had killed her*. I knew that if anyone in this time could do the job of taking Bart Allen down with no hassles whatsoever, Deathstroke could do it. I just needed something to hold over him in case he turned me down."

 _ **(*Strange, but true, kids! - TC)**_

"You know he's going to kill you for this, right?" Robin asked as he hung from his chains. "You're holding his kid hostage, and you think you're going to get off scot free?"

"Oh, but I am," Inertia replied as he leaned on Robin with one elbow. "Because if he tries anything, I'm going to send Jericho to a place where his soul will never be retrieved."

* * *

Bart Allen grew up in a virtual reality environment in the 30th Century. He was taught to read, write and other things in the span of a few months. He was taught everything but two basic human qualities: Patience and intolerance.

The patience thing was definitely a minus, as Bart had taken the 'Look before you leap' angle to new dimensions. But not being taught mistrust, hatred and bigotry for those who were different, was something that helped shaped him into the hero he would eventually become and, ultimately, lead Bart to the current love of his life, Cody Wyatt, his boyfriend and Scrabble partner.

The fact that Bart Allen had learned that he was bi-sexual shortly before the breakup of Young Justice was the one thing that his cousin Inertia had completely missed when searching for ways to destroy the speedster known as Impulse.

As Bart floated in the tube of incapacitating liquid that he was trapped in, not realizing that Inertia had trapped his friends in the Titans as well, the one thought that kept racing through his mind was that he got back to Cody.

"No, let me go!" a woman's voice eventually caught his attention as a college aged girl with black hair and glasses was forced into the room by Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo and thrown in front of the cylinder. Carol looked up into the tube, seeing her ex-boyfriend helplessly floating in front of her.

"Bart?"

* * *

 _UCLA_

 _The apartment of Grant Emerson and Cameron Weinberg_

The window crept open as the pair of dark green boots with light green leggings climbed in. The intruder stared around the apartment in disgust. It was obvious two men lived here because of the horrific mess: piles of clothes all over, the dishes in the sink, the Star Trek DVD sets on the coffee table, etc.

The intruder made their way to the open window just three feet away from the one that the intruder had just spent twenty minutes jimmying open. They picked up the potted plant on the windowsill and smiled before exiting with their prize...

* * *

 _Inertia's secret lair_

"It's all fallen into place," Inertia said as he looked at the traps he'd designed for the Titans:

Superboy was being kept unconscious in a tank like Bart's, only filled with kryptonite laced liquid to keep him weak.

Wonder Girl and Damage were trapped in large domes, where the gravity had been turned off, rendering their superstrength worthless as they floated around helplessly.

Omni was stuck in a locked broom closet, where without anyone to draw power from he was just a regular powerless human.

"When do we get to kill the Titans?" Mammoth asked anxiously.

"Soon," Inertia promised as he looked at them. "I just need to...run a few errands first. Keep an eye on Bart's little girlfriend. Jinx, come with me, we need to pick up some supplies for when I go after the Flash. The rest of you...behave."

Inertia and Jinx left as Mammoth and Gizmo grinned evilly at each other.

* * *

Deathstroke walked into Robin's cell and smirked under his mask. The great Robin, all chained up and helpless. He'd fought the two previous Robins and enjoyed the challenge of facing both of them. Now here was the next one. Given enough time, he could truly give the great Deathstroke the greatest fight of his career. At any rate, he definitely deserved better than dying at the hands of that punk Inertia.

Under no other circumstance would Deathstroke associate with such a lowlife, but he was doing this for Joey. He could care less whom destroyed whom in this game, he just wanted his son to get the peace he deserved so greatly.

"Hello, Robin," Deathstroke said as he approached. "It's such a shame it must end this way. I really wanted to face you in a better setting to really test your skills."

"We can get your son back," Robin told him as he continued looking down. "You just have to trust us."

"I trust no one, boy," Deathstroke coldly replied as he got closer. "Not even Inertia. I know he'll double-cross me at some point. I am prepared for his treachery. I will have my son's soul returned."

"And then what?" Robin wondered as he looked up.

"That's for me to know and you to never find out," Deathstroke said as their eyes locked in a cold stare that both masked men could feel.

"How can you do this?" Robin asked as he continued their death stare. "This group of Titans has no grudge against you."

"This is true," Deathstroke replied as he punched Robin as hard as he could, his fist plowing into Robin's jaw and mouth, the blow rendering him unconscious. Deathstroke eyed the security camera, having done what he needed to not arouse suspicion as he walked out of the cell.

* * *

Twenty years ago, Arthur Light held his first job, managing a karaoke bar. Night after night the young man was forced to listen to the most horrible singers humanity had to offer, each one mangling classic songs in new and horrific ways. What really irked Arthur was when someone messed with his favorite group, Hall & Oates, which brings us to this particular moment.

For the last hour, Dr. Light had to put up with Omni singing to himself in the broom closet to keep himself occupied, mangling each and every song that came out of his mouth. Then came the breaking point...

 _"You're out of touch, I'm out of time, But I'm out giving head when you're not around-"_

You could hear Light's sanity snapping as he pounded on the door. "SHUTUP! SHUT! UP!"

A momentarily silence came as Light sighed as he leaned against the door, just before Omni started humming the theme to Bonanza.

"Da da da dad da da da BONANZA!"

Light couldn't take anymore as he yanked open the door, ready to hurt the Titan who was annoying him so, when a quick punch knocked Light out cold.

"Any longer and I was going to have to get into the Hannah Montana catalogue," Omni said as he cracked his knuckles.

* * *

Carol's ankle was chained to the floor as she put her hand on the cylinder that Bart Allen was floating in. He was wearing just the bottom half of his Impulse costume, with heart monitors and wires attached to his arms and chest to keep him sedated, as well as a breathing mask over his face.

"Oh, Bart," Carol said tearfully as she looked up at him. "What have they done to you?"

"That's nothing compared to what's going to happen," Gizmo said with an evil grin as he walked in with Mammoth.

"What do you want with us?" Carol asked, fear filling her voice.

"The speedster? Nothing," Mammoth said as he approached her. "That's Inertia's prize. You, however..."

"We're not going to kill you," Gizmo giggled as he got closer. "But we're going to have a little... fun."

"No!" Carol shouted, trying to fend them off as the door slammed open.

Deathstroke was standing there, his visible eye shrunk to a slit as he looked upon the scene. Killing masked men for money, taking out superpowered people who had at least a slight hint of self defense was one thing, but to attack an innocent girl whose crime was nothing more than loving a masked freak...

"Leave her alone," the assassin said, his voice calm. "She is not to be harmed, let alone touched by you savages."

Gizmo laughed as he approached Deathstroke and faced him down. He poked his finger hard into the man's armored suit.

"And what are you going to do abou-"

 _ **KA-RACK!**_

Gizmo was cut off as a sickening crunch, like that of a celery stalk being snapped, came from the man's body. Mammoth stared in shock as Gizmo's lifeless body fell to the ground, his head having been turned completely around.

"Does anyone else wish to go against me on this misguided attempt of idiocy?" Deathstroke asked, his voice still calm and collected.

"That was my little buddy!" Mammoth shouted as he charged forward. Deathstroke just stood there, waiting for just the right moment...

* * *

Robin woke up, Deathstroke's hit having knocked him out for a good twenty minutes. His jaw was swollen and bruised, but there was something else wrong. There was something in his mouth leaving a bad, metallic taste. He slid a key out from between lips that hadn't been there when he was knocked out...

* * *

Mammoth's body was halfway through the wall, his legs kicking, having been beaten within an inch of his life, while Deathstroke hadn't even broken a sweat. Carol was huddled next to Bart's cylinder as Deathstroke approached.

"I will not harm you," the man assured her as he stood over Carol, "But I can't say the same for Inertia."

"Why are you doing this?" Carol asked, her voice shaking.

"You remind me of my own daughter," Deathstroke replied as he stood there.

"What in the hell is going on in here?" Inertia asked as he walked in, seeing Gizmo dead and Mammoth stuck in the wall. "I leave for an hour and you kill my lackeys?"

"I killed one lackey," Deathstroke corrected him, "and my job ended once I brought you Robin. I will take my payment now."

"What, you mean this?" Inertia asked as he held the container with Jericho's soul. "I don't know, Slade, I kind of like your company. I might just keep you on the payroll for a while longer. There are other heroes I'm going to need to take down before I off my cousin."

"Fool," Deathstroke angrily said as he pulled out his gun and fired as Inertia zipped around him. The bounty hunter simply smirked under his mask; it wasn't about shooting your target, it was-

 **BLAM!**

Inertia fell to the ground in pain, his kneecap blasted clean off.

-shooting at where your target was _going_ to be.

Deathstroke kept his gun aimed as he approached the villainous speedster. As he got closer, Inertia's cries turned to laughter. As he got close enough, Inertia's body started flickering, revealing it was just a hologram.

The man's single eye widened in shock as a tap came on his shoulder. Several hundred punches landed on him, knocking Deathstroke backward onto the control panel, turning off the sedatives being fed into Bart.

"You're the fool," Inertia said as he held the container with Jericho's soul. He quickly pushed a bunch of buttons at superspeed on his computer, opening a small vortex. "See this? It's a time portal. Not big enough for a real human, but just big enough for small objects. Weapons…messages...human souls."

* * *

Robin had retrieved his gear and was heading to find the others, seeing that Omni was releasing Superboy from his prison.

"Omni, you got free before I did?" Robin asked in shock, his voice filled with a little disappointment.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" Omni said, smiling, with Superboy's arm around his shoulder. He looked at Robin, pleased to have been the first to free himself.

"N- no," Robin nervously told him as Omni just stared at him. Finally, a tiny bead of sweat formed on Robin's brow, noticeable only to someone with supervision…or the ability to copy supervision. "Well... maybe a little."

Three seconds of deadly silence filled the air between the two Titans before Omni broke the void.

"HA!" Omni shouted as he pointed at Robin. "You admitted it!"

"Let's just free the others," Robin muttered as he headed toward the traps holding Wonder Girl and Damage.

* * *

"If you do this, make no mistake...I WILL kill you," Deathstroke promised as he moved for his gun, which was quickly knocked out of his hand, as Inertia zipped back to the portal.

"Maybe you're right," Inertia realized with a sigh. "Maybe I should just give you your pay and let you go. I still have plenty of other people to torment."

Deathstroke got up as Inertia grinned evilly. "But then again, I always hated Jericho's mutton chops. Maybe, with luck, the poor bastard's soul will end up in the 70's."

Before Deathstroke could react, Inertia tossed the canister into the vortex. It closed before he could get to it as Inertia zipped around him, landing several punches.

"You're getting old, Slade," Inertia laughed as a larger portal back to the outside world opened behind Deathstroke. "See you around, old man."

The speedster pushed Deathstroke through as the portal closed, not realizing that Bart's eyes were slowly opening.

"Now for you, my dear," Inertia said as he got closer to Carol, taking her hand, as the cylinder started cracking from Bart's vibrations. "I have so many plans to torture you and Bart that I don't know where to begin. Seeing his girlfriend slowly die will be his worst nightmare."

"I'm not his girlfriend," Carol corrected him. "Bart's g-"

Just then, a loud shatter was heard as Bart stood in the broken cylinder, dripping wet as he leaned on the wall for support.

"It's over, Inertia," Bart said as he raised his head, lightning bolts of anger flowing from his eyes. "This time, we end this for good."

 **TO BE CONCLUDED...**


	15. Risk It All Part 6

**Titans Forever #15**

 **"Risk It All, Part 6"**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 _Teen Titans Roll Call_

 _Robin, The Boy Wonder_

 _Superboy, The Teen of Steel_

 _Impulse, The Fastest Boy Alive_

 _Wonder Girl, The Young Amazon_

 _Damage, The Human Explosive_

 _Omni, The Power Mimic_

 _Risk, The Thrillseeker_

 _Offspring, The Shapesifter_

 _Apart they're just sidekicks and illegitimate children; Together they're THE TITANS! Proteges of the Justice League, whippersnappers to the JSA, and all around annoyances to the Outsiders!_

 _Previously, Inertia came up with a plan to destroy his cousin, Impulse, by trapping and destroying everyone he cared about, starting with the Teen Titans! Recruiting several of the Titan's rogues and blackmailing Deathstroke the Terminator with the soul of his dead son Jericho, Inertia almost succeeded._

 _Fortunately, Deathstroke foresaw Inertia double crossing him and gave Robin a means to escape, while Inertia was planning on using Bart's ex-girlfriend Carol to torture his hated cousin. When he refused to give Deathstroke his payment, a fight broke out in which the cylinder holding Bart was destabilized. After getting the upper hand on Deathstroke, banishing him from his lair and dispatching Jericho's soul into the time stream, Inertia now has a new problem on his hands: Impulse is out..._

 _and he's definitely pissed..._

 **Five Minutes Earlier**

"Please?"

"No,"

"Please?"

"No,"

"Please?"

"No... God... damn you... No!"

For the last hour, Risk had been followed around Offspring, the shape-shifting son of Plastic Man who, upon learning that Risk had become an official member of the Titans, decided to use this as an in for his own membership.

"But I'd make a great Titan!" Offspring said as he started taking the form of various Justice League members, including Superman, Batman and Vibe. "I can turn into anyone and get into anyplace!"

"Go away you little... ... did you just turn into one of the most obscure ass Justice Leaguers ever?" Risk asked as he stopped.

Before Offspring could answer, a portal opened as Deathstroke fell out.

"Well, I'll be damned," Risk said with a smile as he cracked his knuckles. "I was hoping I'd get a chance to meet up with the bastard who drugged me three issues ago _*_."

 _(Titans Forever #11 - TC)_

"I don't have time for this," Deathstroke said as he prepared to shoot Risk's arm off before-

"Uh, guys?" Offspring asked, acting as a tire jack, keeping the portal opened. "I can't hold this open all day. Well, I could, but I'd miss 'Lost'."

* * *

 _ **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!**_

 _Know what a sonic boom sounds like? It's possibly the loudest, coolest sound ever imagined. It's a beautiful noise, almost like the music of the Gods. Unfortunately it'd bust a normal person's eardrums into tiny particles._

 _The force I just hit Inertia with was worth at least two sonic booms._

 _My name is Impulse, and right now I'm the most pissed off man alive._

Inertia went flying across the room, sliding and skidding the entire way after Impulse's fist had collided with his jaw. Thirteen seconds ago, Bart Allen had just awakened from a deep sleep; Inertia had contained him in a sensory deprivation chamber and he was only awakened by the slimmest of chances from a fight between Inertia and Deathstroke over the soul of Jericho, of all people.

Bart Allen was the poster boy for the 'Single Synapse Theory' or going from thought to motion in less than a fragment of a second. When Bart awoke to see his cousin standing over his ex-girlfriend Carol preparing to harm her... Bart cut that time down to a third.

Unfortunately for our hero, however, Inertia also possessed the power of super speed. So by the time Impulse was speeding toward the flailing Inertia, his evil cousin was prepared with a counter strike. He punched back with almost as much rage to fuel him as it had Bart.

Of course, while a fight between two speedsters might take place in normal time for them, to regular humans-

"Holy shit," Superboy said as the Titans watched two blurs, one red, one green, zipping around with no other visible sign of the battle raging than the two distinct color streaks.

"What did we miss?" Robin asked as he saw Carol sitting on the floor, scared for not only her own life but that of her ex-boyfriend.

"What do we do?" Wonder Girl asked as she looked at Robin.

"We protect the civilian and find a way home," Robin replied as he looked over at her. "There's nothing we can do for Bart. This is his fight and-"

A large clawed hand grabbed both Robin and Wonder Girl around their throats, lifting them into the air.

"It's payback time!" Mammoth shouted.

Before they could react, Jinx stomped the ground, sending a shockwave to knock Superboy, Omni and Damage off balance.

Dr. Light, while rubbing his jaw, walked in and decided to join the fun just as the portal opened and allowed Risk, Offspring and Deathstroke to come rushing in..

"Where the hell are we?" Risk asked as he looked around, punching his fist into his palm, "and how much of this stuff can I break?"

"Hey, there's the Titans!" Offspring shouted as he literally sprung into action. Deathstroke stood back. He had other things to do...

* * *

Impulse and Inertia's fight had long since broken through the wall of Inertia's HQ, revealing it to be hidden somewhere in the Eastern European mountains. The two tumbled down the rocky slope at super speed, trading punches as they fell.

"Why do you continue fighting?" Inertia asked, blood trailing out of his nose. "I'm the superior speedster here."

"You're just a generic, soulless clone," Impulse laughed, his body sore and covered with bruises. "You're too filled with hate and ignorance to know what being superior is."

Inertia head butted Impulse, drawing blood from his forehead as the two continued racing across the world at super speed, their battle only being passed off as a harsh wind wherever they went.

* * *

Back at Inertia's headquarters, nothing was left standing as the Titans fought Inertia's hired help and knocked over everything.

Offspring turned into a coil and sprung up into Mammoth's chest, causing him to drop Robin and Wonder Girl. Both Titans hit the ground as a shockwave from Jinx came rushing towards them, but the two jumped out of the way, knocking several of Dr. Light's clones over like bowling pins.

Damage picked up a table and swung it at Mammoth, who grabbed the other end and tossed Damage across the room, which was when Superboy and Wonder Girl both plowed their fists into him, plowing Mammoth into the wall.

Omni was trying to absorb the powers of everyone around him to fight off Dr. Light's clones, using Damages strength, Superboy's heat vision and Risk's agility. Risk and Robin, meanwhile, were dodging Jinx's attacks. Risk grabbed Robin's arms started swinging him, his legs knocking Jinx off balance.

Elsewhere, Deathstroke had gathered everything he needed to and started placing small explosive devices, which were no bigger than a thumbnail, around the room. He slipped out among the confusion, smiling under his mask as he watched the fight.

"Another day, Titans," Deathstroke smirked, watching Robin in particular. "Another day…"

"Just like old times, huh?" Superboy asked his former girlfriend as the two continued to punch Mammoth.

"Yeah," Wonder Girl replied with a smile as they pummeled the villain.

They finally knocked him out, sending him onto a dog pile with Dr. Light and Jinx.

"That's all of them," Robin said, noticing Gizmo's lifeless body. "Except for Inertia."

"I think I took one too many hits," Omni said as he rubbed his ear. "I hear beeping."

"You're not the only one; I hear it, too," Risk replied as Robin looked around, finally finding one of Deathstroke's explosives.

"Oh, shi-"

The entire building went up in one large fireball, debris and steel flying everywhere, just as Wonder Girl, carrying Robin and Damage, and Omni, who was copying Superboy's powers and carrying the villains, and Superboy, who was carrying Risk, and Offspring, who'd taken the form of a parachute for Carol, came flying down the mountain, avoiding the falling materials and flames.

* * *

"Why her?" Impulse asked as he punched Inertia as their battle took them through Africa. "Of all people, why Carol?"

Inertia laughed at his cousin's question. "Of all people, why not?"

Inertia slammed his fist into Impulse's stomach as they went through Germany. "Who better to attack than the one person who loves you more than life itself?"

Impulse grabbed Inertia by the hair and started punching him, causing cracks to appear in his goggles.

"I should kill you for trying to touch her," Impulse said through clenched teeth. He wasn't about to tell Inertia the truth about him and Carol. For the first time in his life, Bart was thinking ahead. He was putting the safety of the one person he loved most above all by not telling Inertia about him.

"Yeah, but you won't," Inertia grinned. "You didn't kill me when I took Preston away from you, and you won't kill-"

Inertia's eyes widened as he saw something he never thought he'd see in Bart Allen's face.

Pure, unadulterated, hatred.

"You... you killed him!?" Impulse shouted as he poured everything he had into wailing on Inertia, blood and cloth started flying as tears mixed with bloody wounds fell down Bart's face. "It was you all along! You took my best friend away!"

Both speedsters were reaching their breaking point, their bodies wouldn't be able to take too much more as they finally crashed, skidding along the dirt and gravel of an old country back road. Impulse continued punching Inertia, not caring about what he was doing.

His fists plowed into Inertia, faster than his mind could think as the tears fell. Preson, his best friend who he had thought had died in a tragic accident. The person he'd been grieving for over the last two years, and now he had his killer right here.

"Do it," Inertia said, his face bruised and swollen. "Finish it."

Impulse held his fist back, which was caught before he could swing it one final time.

"That's enough, son,"

Impulse looked up at the red and blue costume standing over him. The red cape flew in the wind like a proud symbol. Superman looked down at Impulse, then at Inertia and knew instantly that whatever Inertia had done to get Impulse this raging violent... it had to have been bad. _Real_ bad.

Impulse looked down at his enemy and realized what he was about to do. The Man of Steel stood there, unmoving. This was Bart's move. He wouldn't move one way or another, knowing deep down that the young man would make the right choice, having seen him, Superboy, Robin and Wonder Girl in one crisis after the next. He knew what Bart would do before he did it, or least hoped he did.

Bart fell off of Inertia, hating what he'd allowed himself to become. He just lay there, sobbing, never feeling a pain and hatred like this. It'd hit him like a freight train and he didn't know how to make it stop now that he'd experienced it.

Superman's recent experience with the Toyman had forced the Man of Steel to face emotions that he never wanted to feel, either _*_. He kneeled down and put his hand on Bart's shoulder. Maybe if that horrible experience had taught him something he could use it to help heal another who'd suffered it as well. It wouldn't make up for the horrors that everyone involved suffered, but in his own small way Superman would at least find some light in the darkness that was threatening to consume him and the young speedster in front of him.

Inertia had been taken to S.T.A.R. Labs to be healed before he was incarcerated. It wasn't the fear of being taken into custody that scared him, it was the fact that Deathsroke had sworn an oath of vengeance...

* * *

"So, am I in?" Offspring asked hopefully as the Titans headed back toward the UCLA campus after dropping the villains off into custody. "Am I a Titan?"

"Well, he did help us," Robin said as he looked around, "and we could use a shape shifter."

"Yeah, a shapeshifter, not another power house," Superboy said smugly as he looked at Risk.

"Hey, you got a problem with me?" Risk asked as he looked at Superboy, the two Titans stopping to look at each other.

"Boys, don't make me split you up," Wonder Girl said as she got in between them. "The last thing we need to do is fight each other. Remember what happened the last time?"

Robin and Superboy stopped as she said those words, remembering what had broken their team apart in the first place.

"Did I miss something?" Risk asked as he looked around.

"No," Robin told them as he looked at Superboy. "Besides, can you even devote time to being a full time member of this team?"

"What are you saying?" Superboy asked with a laugh. "That you're demoting me?"'

"More like giving you time to get your ass out of high school," Robin replied. "I've seen your grades, Connor."

Superboy sighed as he looked at everyone. He knew that Robin was telling him to get lost for other reasons beyond just being in his senior year of high school with poor grades, none of them were just willing to admit it. "Fine, you got my cell number, just...just don't go fighting any big battles without me, okay?"

Superboy turned and flew off as Wonder Girl looked at Robin, who wasn't facing anyone.

"I think you hurt him," Wonder Girl said.

"No, _we_ hurt him," Robin told her as he walked away.

* * *

Bart had returned Carol to her college dorm on the East Coast. He was still battle damaged and worn as he held her in his arms. As soon as he arrived outside of her building, he let her go.

"Are you going to be all right?" Bart asked in a quiet voice.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Carol told him as she touched his bare shoulder. He had cuts, scrapes and bruises all over him.

"The Speed Force will heal me soon," Bart replied as he looked away. "I'm sorry he-they tried to hurt you."

Carol sighed as she turned Bart's head back toward her. "None of this is your fault, Bart. I realized what I was getting into when we started going out."

"Then why did you-"

Carol put a finger on his lips to stop him from talking. "You know why I let you go. I love you, Bart, but you loved someone else. I knew about you and Preston long before the two of you knew it. I guess a part of me believed we could make it work. Then I saw the magazine and I freaked out."

"And now Preston's dead because of double life," Bart told her as he tried not to think about it. "Never even got a chance to tell him before...Inertia got to him. Do you think that...we could have worked out if Preston hadn't been in the picture?"

Carol blushed. "Bart, I don't-"

The two started leaning into each other as a voice called out.

"CAROL!" Mike, Carol's fiancée shouted as he ran towards her, his arm in a sling. "Thank God you're all right!"

"Yeah," Carol replied with a startled tone. "Thanks to-"

She looked around and found she was alone. "A kind stranger."

Mike took her hand and walked her back into her dorm so they could talk about what happened.

* * *

 _A secret location somewhere in the midwest_

Deathstroke was looking over the blueprints he'd drawn from his photographic memory.

"I'll find you, Joey, I promise," The man vowed.

"No," a voice said from across the room. A teenage girl with flowing white hair, dressed in armor similar to Deathstroke's sat in a chair, holding a sword in her hand. Rose Wilson smiled at her father. "We'll find him."

 **END**


	16. A Hero Is

**Teen Titans #15**

 **"A Hero Is..."**

 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

All Marie Barragan wanted to do that that day was take out some money to run errands. She still had to pick up dinner, the drycleaning, and pick up her oldest boy from soccer practice. All in a day's work for a single mother of two.

But fate had other plans for not only her, but the rest of the people who were in the bank that day. Two men had come in, wanting all the cash. The tellers gave them what they wanted, but were shot down in cold blood without cause. Then they turned their guns on the rest of the customers.

There was no warrant for the slaughter, no just cause. The people begged, the ones with young children especially, but their cries went unheard when the robbers fired their guns.

The robbers, not wanting any witnesses, only left one person standing, and that's because he was hidden by his mother during the slaughter in the open door of the ATM, which had just big enough for a small child to fit into. The little boy was forced to watch as six people, including his own mother, had been gunned down.

* * *

There were no survivors beyond the child by the time the Titans showed up. Risk, Damage, and Wonder Girl arrived after hearing it over the police scanner Robin kept in his dorm room, not expecting to find the horror that they walked into. It took everything they had for the three heroes to not throw up at the carnage.

Wonder Girl was the first to comfort the child when he revealed himself, while Risk and Damage looked around for clues, quickly getting a look at the security camera footage, then determining which way the getaway vehicle was headed. The boys told Wonder Girl to stay with the child until the police showed up so he wouldn't be alone.

Damage looked in the direction the tread marks, which revealed where the getaway car was headed, and two quickly took off. Risk had jumped and climbed to the top of a nearby roof and started bounding across rooftops, while Damage had used his new modified motorcycle to pursue the car as the two kept constant contact through Oracle.

Risk had managed to get far ahead of Damage as he spotted the car driving wildly down the road, trying to evade the police. He notified Damage and rushed after, his adrenaline pumping at an all time high.

Seeing that little boy's face as he looked at his lifeless mother fueled Cody Driscoll's rage. He knew what it was like to lose a parent, having just lost his own mother after Titans West had disbanded. He wouldn't wish that pain on anyone.

The car had just reached the city limits, having evaded the police, who were on a budget crunch because of high gas prices and were already past their limit on gas for the cruisers, leaving them with just simple motorcycles.

Risk saw his chance and leaped off of the building, landing right on the hood of the car, smiling. He'd never tried a jump from that far up, and was impressed with himself. Now all he had to do was keep the robbers from shaking him off of the hood as they drove wildly on the street to do so.

Damage kept in pursuit on his motorcycle, his left hand charging with a blue energy. He used an energy bolt from his hand and shot out the rear tire, causing the car to swerve even more. That's when Risk made his move as well, and punched the windshield, making a large crack.

The car ran off the road, onto a grassy field, throwing Risk off as it came to a stop. The robbers got out with the bags full of money as Damage jumped off his bike, ready to charge in. The robbers pulled out their guns as the two Titans smirked at each other. They leapt out of the way as the bullets flew toward them, neither of them getting anywhere close to being hit.

Damage and Risk both tackled the robbers, punching them, wanting to take the fight out of them before the cops showed up. Risk especially was getting his fair share of pleasure from beating the robber, but he knew he couldn't bring himself to kill another human being. He'd already been through that, having taken two lives before*, he wasn't going back down that path.

Damage had to help Risk up as the police were finally catching up to them. As they were getting ready to leave, Risk noticed the money the bank robber's had stolen, which had fallen out onto the ground... which had all been ruined by exploding dye packs. Half a dozen lives were destroyed, and all for money that was no longer any good to anyone.

Wonder Girl arrived just as the cops were parking their one gassed up cruiser, having made sure the little boy had been taken care of. She expressed regret that she couldn't have gotten a few hits in as the trio returned back to the UCLA campus...

* * *

 _The office of Terry Berg_

"And the kid was just taken to an orphanage?" Terry asked as he wrote down the information, having contacted his friend at the LAPD. "Thanks, I appreciate this."

Terry had spent all afternoon tracking this story, wanting to have it in the college paper by tomorrow morning's printing. But first he needed to have all of his facts straight. A good reporter never skimped on the details, and Terry Berg wanted to be a GREAT reporter.

Terry grabbed his jacket and went to get another story for his paper...

* * *

"A bag of money," Risk said with a slight laugh as his rage continued to build, "Six people dead over a fucking bag of paper!"

Risk punched his right hand through the wall in anger as his friends watched.

"There was nothing any of us could do," Robin said as the team sat in Grant and Cameron's dorm room.

"A master detective, a speedster, a shapeshifter, a girl who can lift tanks, plus the rest of us, and we couldn't keep a little kid from losing his mother?" Risk asked as he looked at Robin.

"Stuff happens, we deal and we move on," Robin told him truthfully, "I feel bad for the families of those people, too, but that's why we have to work even harder to prevent stuff like this from happening the next time."

"You don't get it, Rob," Risk said as he turned to face the Boy Wonder, "The kid watched his mom die. Do you have any idea what kind of an effect that has on a kid?"

"I know someone who does," Robin replied, "Is this because of what happened with your mom?"

"She died before I could get to her and say goodbye," Risk told him, "She died when I was supposed to be taking care of her."

Wonder Girl put a hand on his shoulder, "And then the DEO grabbed you when you went to her funeral."

"Bastards didn't even let me say my final peace," Risk whispered as he stared at the ground. "Just like that kid's probably not going to get to say his."

* * *

Terry had been following the story all afternoon, getting every scrap of information that he could. The Teen Titans had stopped the robbers, but six people had been killed anyway, leaving only a small child to witness the slaughter.

He made some calls and learned the boy and his older brother were going to be taken to an orphanage in the city until a family member could be located to take them in. The youngest boy was only six years old, and Terry knew better than to push a kid that young for information on a tragedy like this. He wasn't going to be one of those reporters who'd get his story at the expense of another human's suffering.

That's when he saw the news van from the news station heading in the direction of the orphanage.

"Bastards," Terry said to himself, realizing that while he was trying to keep his journalistic integrity, others weren't. He had to think fast as the sun was starting to set.

"There's nothing else we can do," Robin told the group as he headed toward the window to do his rounds, "The robbers were caught and the kid's in a safe place, so-"

* * *

Robin looked out the window at the sight that greeted him in the orange sky, "O...kaaayyy."

A giant 'R' was shining up into the darkening sky.

Terry, having rigged a search light and tearing his outer shirt into an 'R' shape to shine upward, leaving him in a white t-shirt, waited patiently to see if The Boy Wonder would show.

* * *

Sure enough, minutes later, Robin arrived, being carried by Wonder Girl. Risk would be on his way minutes after.

"What's going on?" Robin asked, noting Miguel's ingenuity.

"That," Terry told him as he pointed down to the street below where the reporters were gathering, waiting for the orphaned boys to arrive to interrogate them, "Those kids that were orphaned in the bank robbery are coming, and-"

"We're not bodyguards," Robin told Terry firmly.

"No, but you're heroes," Terry stated as he stared down into the street, "I know you guys couldn't save the day completely, but... those kids have suffered enough."

Robin looked over at Wonder Girl.

"Let's do it."

* * *

The van pulled up to the orphanage as the reporters and paparazzi were waiting, cameras ready to take pictures. Seconds later, the doors opened up, and two figures hidden under a blanket walked out, heading toward the door. The reporters started taking pictures, shouting questions, wanting their story from the sole eyewitness.

Once the two kids and the escorts were inside, the boys took the blanket off. Cameron took off the dark haired wig as the younger boy started morphing until he was in the original shape of Luke.

"How long do we have to do this?" Luke asked.

"Until Robin says it's safe to leave," Cameron said as he put the wig back on, "Get back into character. We can't change back until we get the call."

* * *

Across the street, Wonder Girl held the sleeping boy in her arms, his older brother also asleep from a non toxic sleeping gas from Robin's utility belt.

"I made a call to a... friend," Robin told them, hating having to call Bruce, but it was an emergency, "Someone will meet us and we'll have the kids taken to a foster home in Metropolis until a relative can be found to take them in."

"Thanks," Terry told the Titans with a smile, "It's good to know there's some decent folks in this town."

"I know," Robin replied, "I'm looking at one."

The two shook hands as Risk looked down at the sleeping boy in Wonder Girl's arms. He hoped these kids would be able to pick up their lives after this. The last thing he wanted was for them to turn out like he did. Alone, hurt, bitter at the world. Risk wanted to do his part to make sure no child ever turned out like him.

* * *

 _Several Days Later_

The Barragan boys were staying in a foster home in Metropolis. Their father, who'd long been absent in their lives, would be coming to pick them up in a few days. Little Matt Barragan laid on his bed, watching his big brother staring out the window.

"What'cha thinkin' 'bout?" The boy asked.

"The Titans," 15 year old Miguel Barragan told him, "I'm gonna be one of them someday."

* * *

"I can't believe you talked us into this," Impulse said as he walked with Robin, Wonder Girl, and Damage towards the office of the college paper, "Since when do you give interviews?"

"Since we need to be more in touch with the public," Robin replied as they saw Terry was interviewing people for his newest piece on the Titans, "The people need to feel safe with us around."

"Alright, thanks," Terry said as he wrote down the last few comments of the people who were passing by. He saw the Titans approaching and smiled, "Hey, guys, thanks for coming. I want to tell the world about the bravery of the Titans."

Wonder Girl smiled as she looked Terry over. Maybe she could get a date out of this,"Well, just remember to stay truthful to the story, and-"

"The Titans are losers!" A voice shouted suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Impulse asked as he looked around.

"You heard me," The voice replied as the crowd made way for the person coming through, "The Titans are losers and a danger to everyone around them."

"Hey, buddy, what gives you the right to say that?" Terry asked as he got his pen ready.

"Because," A young man said as he revealed himself. The teenage boy was wearing a red and black outfit, while sitting in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down. Grover Adams looked at the three Titans bitterly, "Those three are the one ones who put me in this wheelchair."

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	17. Wonder Showzen, Part 1

**TITANS FOREVER #16**

 **"Wonder Showzen, Part 1"**  
 **Written By Tobias Christopher**

 _Titans Roll Call_

 _Robin, The Boy Wonder_

 _Impulse, The Fastest Boy Alive_

 _Wonder Girl, The Young Amazon_

 _Damage, The Human Explosive_

 _Omni, The Power Mimic_

 _Risk, The Thrillseeker_

 _Offspring, The Shapeshifter_

 _Apart they're just sidekicks and illegitimate children; Together they're the TITANS! Proteges of the Justice League, whippersnappers to the JSA, and all around annoyances to the Outsiders!_

The Wonder Twins, Zan & Jayna, a pair of teenage thieves hailing from the planet Exor, who are into stealing the best technology for their own needs, were staking out a new firm to steal from. S.T.A.R. Labs, Waynetech, LexCorp…the two had managed to steal from the best, pinching just enough tech to not be suspected. And right now, they had their eyes on the latest prize.

"There it is," Zan said, his pointed Exorian ears hidden underneath a black knit cap. "The next component we need is right there in that building."

"Styfle Joy Co?" Jayna asked, her long black hair hiding her own pointed ears. A small capuchin monkey sat on her shoulder, eating a piece of fruit. "What are we getting from there?"

"Some experimental microchips," her twin brother replied as he looked through a pair of binoculars. "It might not be as good as the other stuff we've been pinching from other places, but from what I hear, they have tech that not even LexCorp's tapped into."

"What about security?" Jayna asked as she looked over at Zan.

"Pretty light," Zan assured her as he put his binoculars down. "Company's not as big or powerful as the other places. We can probably just sneak in and out with no problem whatsoever."

* * *

Marvin White was reading a magazine as he sat in the chair outside of the office of his uncle, Christopher Adams, who owned the scientific firm. Marvin, in his first year of college, was transferring to UCLA and was set to start an internship with his uncle. The young man was dressed in a long sleeved white t-shirt, blue jeans and had shaggy red hair.

"Marvin," the older man said as he opened the door, "come on in. I'm glad you could make it."

"Thanks for giving me this chance, Uncle Christopher," the young red head said as he walked in. "I promise I won't let you down."

"I know, that's why I'm giving you this internship," Christopher told him as he sat down behind his desk that was filled with paperwork and pictures of his two sons. "You'll be working with two other interns, one of them being your cousin Grover."

"Grover's here?" Marvin asked as a smile came across his face remembering his childhood friend whom he hadn't seen since...the accident. "Who's the other intern?"

"Here's your coffee, Mr. Adams," a young woman said as she walked in, carrying a cup of coffee. She was dressed very professionally in an orange skirt, white dress shirt and long sleeved jacket, with short black hair. "And I'll have those files ready in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Wendy," Christopher told her as he stood up. "Wendy, this is Marvin, he'll be interning here, as well. Well, if you two will excuse me, I need to go pick up my son from campus. Wendy will get you acquainted, Marvin, if you have any questions, please let me know."

Wendy gave Marvin a disgusted look as their boss left, noting the sloppy way the younger man dressed.

"So, um, where should I start-," Marvin said as Wendy pushed him against the wall.

"Listen, you son of a bitch," the girl said cold enough to send a shiver down Marvin's spine. "I've worked long and hard to get this internship and no one's going to mess this up for me, and if you so much as try to screw me over to get ahead I will rip your lungs out with my finely manicured nails. As long as you're working here...You' . Bitch. Got it?""

Marvin swallowed hard and nodded as Wendy let him go before walking out of the room, hoping his testicles would re-descend before he left for the day.

* * *

 _The Campus of UCLA_

Grover Adams had been confined to a wheelchair for two long years and the ones responsible were standing right in front of him. The Titans: Robin, Impulse and Wonder Girl.

"They're the ones who put me in this damned chair," the paralyzed young man said as he wheeled over to Terry, followed by his friend Cody Wyatt, who exchanged an uneasy glance with Impulse.

"What happened was an accident," Robin told the crowd that had gathered around. "Yes... we were at fault for what happened, but it was still an unforeseen-"

"Oh, shutup," Grover bitterly said as he looked over at the Boy Wonder. Robin could see the bitterness in the teen's brown eyes. "I was there, too, you know."

"Look, why don't all of us just go and discuss this in private, like rationale young adults?" Terry asked, trying to make peace between everyone as Damage starting flipping through a pocket dictionary.

"Rationale... young... adults...," Damage said to himself. "I know those words, but that sentence makes no sense."

"Forget it," Grover said as he started wheeling away. "I'm not staying here with those freaks. Cody, I'll call you later."

Cody sighed as he watched Grover head toward his dad's car. He looked at Impulse and gave him a glance, which Wonder Girl caught before he started heading back toward his dorm.

"Looks like we're going to have to postpone that interview," Robin told Terry as he started walking away with the other Titans.

"Yeah," Terry replied as he put his notepad and pencil away, sensing a new, bigger story that was begging to be uncovered.

* * *

Marvin was walking back toward the building with the lunch he'd been sent out to get; he'd had to triple check the order to make sure it was right, not wanting to make Wendy mad. As he was about to walk through the door, he saw a young golden retriever sitting there, whimpering.

"Hey, fella," Marvin said as he stooped down and let the dog sniff his hand. "You look like you're starving."

Marvin unwrapped part of his sandwich and fed it to the dog, who happily ate it.

"Wish I could stay longer, but Wendy's going to be pissed if I don't get back," Marvin said as he petted the dog. "Maybe I'll try to get you something else to eat when I'm done for the day."

Marvin headed back inside, not realizing that a stream of icy water was running into the sewer drain, as a fly landed on his shoulder. The dog quickly picked up its head and whimpered softly, sensing something was wrong...

* * *

"Where is she?" Cameron asked as he tore up the apartment that he shared with his roommate Grant. "I left her on the windowsill! Where is she?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Grant asked as he looked around the refrigerator for a snack.

"My sister, she's gone!" the young hero, also known as Omni, frantically shouted.

"You mean that plant you carry around?" the hero who went by Damage asked as he opened a bowl of leftover pasta, which had a green shading to it.

"Yeah," Cameron told him as he looked inside the bowl Grant was holding, expecting to find some sort of clue. "She was right there when I last saw her and now she's gone!"

"Dude, chill," Grant replied as he threw the bowl into the microwave and hit the timer. "We'll find her…it…whatever. I mean, she's a plant, it's not like she walked away."

"You're right, she would have left a note," Cameron said as he looked under the couch cushions. Grant raised an eyebrow as he waited for his food to finish warming.

"Well, just let me eat the rest of this leftover spinach pasta and I'll help you find her," Grant relented as he pulled out the food out of the microwave and dug in.

"Uh, Grant?" Cameron said as he watched him eat, for some reason pausing until the food was halfway eaten. "That's not spinach pasta. That was originally covered in red spaghetti sauce when I put it in the fridge three months ago."

Grant stopped eating as he looked down at the moldy food he'd just eaten half of before dropping the bowl and running into the bathroom.

* * *

"This is some neat tech," Marvin said as he was shown around the research lab. "What exactly do they make here?"

"High tech stuff," his superior replied as she watched the scientists through the glass. "A lot of it has to do with microchips. There's some kind of top secret thing going on that no one's allowed to know about with some kind of microchip technology on the upper level."

"Hey, are they working on a heat laser?" the young red head asked as he looked into the lab. "I worked on a small scale version for the science fair in high school. I'd love to be able to get in on that project."

"And blow up the lab? I don't think so," Wendy told the boy with a laugh as they walked along. "Just remember, you wouldn't even be here if your uncle didn't own the place."

"Now, wait a minute," Marvin said as he stopped to look at her. "That had almost nothing to do with it. I graduated with top honors from my high school. I had one of the best resumes and-"

"You just happened to need an internship along with the boss's son, I know how it works," the girl told him with a menacing stare. "You and your little cousin might have fooled everyone else, but let's face it: I'm the only one who actually earned this internship. And I did it without being related to the guy in charge."

As the two walked along the fly that had accompanied Marvin into the building flew along the hallways and then into the restroom where a slow drip was falling out of the faucet, filling the sink. The fly landed on the counter, dipping one leg into the water.

"Wonder Twin Powers, Deactivate!"

The water started taking a human shape, as Zan planted his feet on the ground just as the fly grew back into the form of Jayna. The Wonder Twins looked around and smirked at each other.

"The lab's almost impossible to get into," Jayna told him as she looked out into the hallway, "but security's still pretty lax around here. Those two brats are the main thing we have to worry about."

Zan held up his hand, forming an ice blade as he smiled. "Two humans against us? That's no challenge at all."

* * *

Tim and Cassie were sitting in his dorm room with an awkward silence between them. They had agreed to come back there to try to figure out the best way to approach Grover.

"It's weird," Tim finally spoke as he stared away from her. "I mean, of all the people who could show up here... why was it the one person that-"

"He's so bitter and angry," Cassie said, cutting him off. "And it's all because of us. We're the ones who caused his pain. I mean, all the lives we've saved, all the times we've helped save the world. It's like none of it matters because we let one person down."

"Not just one person," Tim told her, finally looking over at Cassie. "This all started because we lost Connor's trust in us."

"Tim," Cassie whispered, looking into Tim's eyes. "We were never meant to be, you know that. I loved Connor. I guess, in some ways I still do."

"Then why do we keep torturing ourselves like this?" Tim asked, trying not to get any closer. "Cassie, in the two years we spent apart from each other, I never stopped thinking about you. About us. I care for you. But all we ever end up doing is hurting others when we even think about being together. Connor, Ariana-"

"Even when we're not with them, it still hurts," Cassie whispered. "Tim, why can't we be happy?"

After a brief pause, the two were about to lean in for a kiss when Ives walked in, causing them to jump back from each other.

"Sorry, bro," Ives said as he backed away. "Didn't realize that-"

"You didn't interrupt anything," Tim told his roommate as he stood up. "I was just on my way out. I'll be back later."

"Yeah, and I-I have to go, too," Cassie said as she quickly ran out of the room.

* * *

Christopher had driven Grover to a small restaurant for lunch before they headed back to the firm. The two sat in silence as they waited for their meal, neither knowing what to say to each other. After Grover's accident the two had grown distant as Grover had started cutting everyone off with whom he had been close to.

"Your cousin Marvin's got an internship at the company," Christopher told him. "He'll be working alongside you. How long has it been since you two saw each other?"

"Two years," Grover muttered as he stared down into his water. "Are you sure you want me as an intern? You sure you want a cripple around the office?"

"Grover, your GPA was the highest of virtually everyone whose resumes I saw," Christopher told him as he looked over at his son. "I didn't choose you because you're my son, I chose you and Marvin because you're two of the best minds I could have working under me. You two and Wendy are going to do great."

"So... is this Wendy hot?" Grover asked, trying to finally get into a good mood.

"I'm not going to answer that on account that I'm 40," his father replied with a smile as he took a drink.

* * *

Marvin was taking a look around the lab, staring in awe at some of the devices that were being produced.

"Whoa," the teen said, noticing a heat based laser cannon in the development stages, which was sitting on a tripod. "I could totally make this thing work if given the chance."

"Don't even think about it," Wendy said as she stood at the doorway. "You're not even supposed to be in here."

"Just getting to know the place," Marvin assured her as he studied the cannon. "No, no, no, the wiring on this thing's all wrong. You couldn't cut a stick of butter with this thing."

"And you're such an expert on laser cannons?" Wendy asked with a slight laugh as she walked in, having never really taken the time to look around the lab herself. She was far busy trying to make an impression on the boss.

"Would I be interning in a scientific firm if I didn't have a scientific mind?" Marvin asked as he looked across the room, seeing the door that read 'Top Secret'. "Wonder what kind of stuff's going on in there?"

"Stuff you'll never know about," Wendy told him as she held up a key card. "Only three people have access to that room, and I'm one of them," Wendy gloated as she shoved the card into her pocket as she brushed past Marvin. "And don't break anything. I'm not being held responsible for your screw ups."

Wendy opened the door to leave, when she saw a velociraptor standing on the other side. It breathed heavily as Wendy just stood there, trying not to scream.

"What kind of freaky experiments do they do in this place?" Marvin asked as he stepped back and slipped on some ice. He fell to the ground as the ice started rising, taking a human form, although still remaining completely frozen. Wendy slammed the door shut and tried to lock it as the velociraptor started trying to force its way in.

"We'll be out of your way in just a few minutes," Zan said, cold air visibly floating off of him as he walked forward. Marvin quickly got up and switched the wiring on the laser cannon when the ice man wasn't looking at him, just as the velociraptor burst through the door, knocking Wendy to the ground, causing the key to slide out of her pocket.

"Zan, watch out!" the velociraptor shouted in a garbled voice as Marvin fired the cannon, barely missing Zan's shoulder. Zan shot an icicle at Marvin, who ducked as the velociraptor rammed him hard into the wall. Wendy got up as the Wonder Twins looked in her direction. Marvin hit the ground, his hand just a few inches from the key card.

"Don't kill her," the velociraptor told Zan as they closed in on her, just as Marvin stumbled into the top secret room, hoping to find something to stop the intruders.

"Wait, where's the other one?" Zan asked as he looked around, seeing that Marvin had disappeared.

The velociraptor looked around, sniffing to pick up his trail. "I'll find him before he gets security. Keep an eye on the girl."

"Right," the ice man said as he held one hand towards Wendy. "Don't move and you'll get out of this alive."

Jayna picked up Marvin's scent and headed toward the secret lab door. She raised her head and looked for a way to open it.

"Got you,"

She started ramming the door to get through as Zan thought he heard a crash. He turned his attention away briefly, just in time to see a golden retriever charging toward him. Before he could react, the dog tackled him, sending him flying back and giving Wendy enough time to grab the heat laser.

Zan knocked the dog off of him and prepared to deliver an icy blast when Gleek landed on the dog's back, grabbing its ears and distracting the dog away from the ice man as he stood up, just in time to come face to face with the heat laser as Wendy smirked.

Just as the velociraptor had almost rammed her way through the door, it opened and a red and black blur rushed out, quickly hitting the creature with a series of super fast blows. After knocking Jayna back into the wall, the blur headed towards Zan, who wasted no time icing up the floor. The blur hit it and was sent sliding into the wall behind Wendy.

"Marvin?" Wendy asked as she looked at the young man who was wearing what looked like an armored suit made of black and red material.

"I found this suit in the lab," Marvin said as the retriever licked his face. "I'm glad to see you, too, boy."

Jayna by that time had reverted to her human form and upon standing up started morphing into a large grizzly bear. She stomped over and stood beside Zan, as Gleek sat on her shoulder.

"Think we can take them?" Marvin asked as he stood up beside Wendy, the golden retriever at their side as Wendy kept the heat laser aimed.

"Only one way to find out," Wendy replied as the two groups stared each other down.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	18. Titans Forever Annual 1

**Titans Forever Annual #1**

 **"A League Of Their Own"**

 _Brentwood Academy_

 _Long before college..._

"I told you no. I'm not doing this," Tim Drake said as he tossed his Robin costume at Batman. "That's it. I'm finished."

"I have my reasons for telling Stephanie your identity," Batman said while in the shadows. "I won't apologize for it."

"But you didn't care about my reasons for not telling her I'm Robin," Tim said as he turned his back on the Batman. "I just want to go back to being Tim Drake, high school student. Maybe now that Young Justice has gone their separate ways, I can finally do that."

"Have you spoken to Kon or Bart?" Batman asked.

"Kon drops by every now and then. Bart's... well, he's Bart. He probably can't even remember being on a team," Tim tossed the rest of his gear into a bag and handed it to Batman. "That's all of it. Now do what you do best, and disappear."

Batman was already gone. The Robin suit was folded neatly on Tim's bed.

"Damn you." Tim said. He picked up the Robin costume and hid it in the back of the closet.

* * *

 _L.A._

The Weinburgs were gathered around the t.v., watching the nightly news.

"The JLA officially issued the statement that both Young Justice and the Titans had disbanded today. This comes just one month after the death of Titans found Donna Troy. When asked if either team would reform with new members, Superman offered this statement-"

Cameron thought to himself "The Titans."

* * *

 _New Jersey_

Grover Adams couldn't help but look out the window. He was bored out of his mind just sitting in his class. He finished his test five minutes ago, just three minutes after he started it. He couldn't wait another forty minutes until the bell rang-

"Ahh!" A woman screamed as everyone looked out the window.

The house across the street was on fire, and a woman was outside on the lawn. "My baby! Someone save my baby!"

All the students gathered around the window, giving Grover enough time to quickly change into red spandex, with black gloves, belt, and boots. Five seconds later, Fast Track was across the street and in the house. He grabbed the baby and ran out, handing the child to it's mother. With no time to lose, Fast Track opened the fire hydrant and directed the water at the house.

The only thing anyone saw was a red blur.

"The Flash saved my baby!" The woman shouted. Grover was a little disappointed, but at least he got back to class before anyone noticed he was gone.

* * *

 _Fawcett City_

"Come on, Billy, I've got to go!" Freddy shouted into the bathroom.

"Yeah, well I've got to get ready to do my report!" Billy shouted back as he got into the shower. But something was already in there. In the shadows, something is seen attacking Billy until he fell to the floor.

"That's it, I'm coming in!" Freddy said as he opened the door. But no one was in there, and the window was open...

* * *

 _Washington D.C._

"Ronald Raymond?" A man who looked like a secret service agent asked as he approached a young college student.

"Yes, that's me." Ronald said. He was on spring break and decided to spend it in Washington, where no one would bother him.

"Or should I say Firestorm?" The man said as he tossed something at Ronald, who struggled until he fell.

* * *

 _The Justice Cave, Happy Harbor_

"You couldn't get in contact with Bart?" Wonder Girl asked as Superboy lifted a table and carried it out. "No. Max said that he hasn't come out of his room in days. He won't even play with his video games."

"We should pay him a visit. I think Young Justice breaking up kind of hit him hard." Wonder Girl said as packed up some books.

"Yeah, well shit happens, like people you care about dying," Superboy carried out a stone statue of Secret, and ran into Wonder Woman and The Flash. "Didn't see the JLA trying to put us back together."

"Actually it was because we had something bigger in mind." Wonder Woman said.

* * *

 _Brentwood Academy_

"Giving up the costumed life?" Nightwing asked as he climbed through the window.

"I do have a roommate, you know." Tim said as he sat on the bed.

"Yeah, and he's currently studying at the library. A good detective does his research." Nightwing said as he sat down next to Tim.

"You're starting to sound like Bruce." Tim said.

"Don't make me have come all this way just to punch you," Nightwing said as he looked at the Robin costume on the bed.

"Why _did_ you come all this way?" Tim asked.

"Superman asked me to talk to you. Behind Batman's back,"

Tim got a shocked look on his face. "Why?"

"The JLA felt it was time you guys stepped up," Nightwing said as Tim sat back down. "They want you, Superboy, and Wonder Girl to join the league on a trial basis."

"What about Impulse?" Tim asked.

"That's the other thing Superman asked me to talk to you about."

* * *

 _Metropolis_

Clark Kent was working at his desk when his super hearing heard the woman's scream.

"Lois?"

"See if you can beat your old record, Clark."

Ten seconds later, Superman was halfway across the city, landing in an alley where he heard the woman scream. He saw no one there. "I'm not very nice when it comes to prank calls." Superman said as something jumped out at him.

"You." was the last thing Superman said before he was captured.

* * *

 _The JLA Watchtower_

J'onn J'onzz, The Martian Manhunter, was on monitor duty as Superman teleported in.

"Superman, I'm detecting something very strange from both Washington, D.C., and Fawcett City. I was wondering if you-" Superman just walked past J'onn into the conference room.

"I sense something strange about you, Kal-el," J'onn said. "There's something... even more alien about you."

"What makes you say that?" Superman said as he turned around and fired his heat vision.

* * *

 _Happy Harbor_

"Alright, let me get this straight," Superboy said. "You want us to become members of the JLA? Young Justice just broke up and now want us to join your damn club!?"

"Calm down, Kon," Wonder Girl said. "Why didn't you just tell us this earlier?"

"We had to be sure you were JLA material," Flash said. "We just couldn't put some second stringers on the team. We needed the best of the best."

"I don't know whether to be complimented or P.O.'d," Superboy said.

Wonder Girl stood up. "Secret's disappeared. No one knows where she is. And Arrowette is focusing on entering the next Olympics, so she's out. That leaves three. And what about Impulse?"

* * *

 _California_

"Come on, it's just one game." Cameron pleaded.

"Sorry," Ty said. "Can't play basketball now. I'm volunteering at the youth center. Maybe later."

"Joel? Aviva?" Cameron asked.

"Sorry, got a date," Joel said. "And Aviva's going to a sleepover. You've got the house to yourself tonight."

"I don't want the house," Cameron said. "I want someone to hang out with."

* * *

 _New Jersey_

"You sent it where?" Christopher Adams asked. "I need that package by tomorrow and you sent it L.A.? What kind of people are working at your post office?'

Mr. Adams hung up the phone and turned his attention to Grover. "Sorry, son, I'm going to have pull another late shift."

"But dad, you promised you'd come to my school's open house. If you don't sign that permission slip, I can't join the softball team." Grover said as he slumped in his seat.

"I know, son, but I have to work over and make up the four hours that paperwork would have saved me," Mr. Adams said. "I'll see you at home."

As Grover walked out of the office, he had a thought. He could use his superspeed and get to L.A. to pick up that package. It would only take about an hour, and he'd still have time to make the open house.

* * *

 _Gotham City_

Robin was swinging across the buildings. There was only way to get the boss's attention, and that was make yourself an open target. As Robin was about to swing to the next building, his cape was caught and he was pulled back.

"I take it you wanted to see me?" Batman asked.

"It's about the Justice League. I know you know about Nightwing talking to me." Robin said.

"I thought you gave up being Robin?" Batman asked.

"I'm going for one last ride. I just wanted you to know that I know you wanted Impulse on the team, even with everything that's happened in the last few weeks." Robin said as Batman remained in the shadows.

"Despite his namesake, I think the League could use him. And you," Batman said.

"The JLA thought you'd object to us being in the League," Robin said as Batman appeared behind him.

"I did, at first. But I trust you, Tim. That is, if you were still staying on as Robin." Batman said as Robin turned around. Batman was already gone.

"One of these days I'm going to beat him to it." Robin said.

* * *

 _"I'm getting some weird activity readings from several metas."_ Oracle said.

"That's weird," Black Canary replied. "Even the big guys?"

 _"Especially the big guys,"_ Oracle said. " _Cap Marvel, Supes, J'onn, and a few others._ "

"That's odd," Canary said. "I'll keep an eye out on my end-" Black Canary was cut off as static filled the lines.

"Canary?" Oracle asked. "Canary? Come in! Are you there?"

"Yes," Canary finally said. "I'm fine. It was nothing."

"Good," Oracle said. "For a moment there-"

Suddenly, the door was kicked open.

"Who in the world-" Oracle said as she saw Martian Manhunter standing behind there. "It can't be-"

* * *

 _L.A._

Fast Track made it from Jersey to L.A. in fifteen minutes. He was definately getting faster. Now all he had to do was find a post office and get the package.

"Freeze!"

Fast Track turned around and saw the police run out of the bank just a car was pulling off. "Better stop them." Fast Track thought as he chased after the car. Just as he was about to catch them, one of the tires burst and the car skidded into the side of a building.

"Wow," Fast Track said. "That was easy."

Just then the criminals got out of the car and started firing their ammo.

"Damn." Fast Track said.

* * *

"We've got to get back to the watchtower, Superman's called an emergency meeting," Flash said as Superboy followed him and Wonder Woman out.

"The Justice League?" Superboy asked. "I don't know, are we really ready?"

"We wouldn't be asking if we didn't think you were ready," Flash replied as he and Wonder Woman headed off.

"No Impulse. No Arrowette. No Secret," Superboy said. "Being a Leaguer wouldn't feel the same without them. What are we supposed to do?"

"Speaking as an ex-Titan, I could offer my assistance." Captain Marvel Jr. said as he landed in front of them. "And if we don't do something soon, there won't be a world for the Justice League to work in."

* * *

 _Bang! Bang!_

The bank robbers were firing their guns as they exited their car, and heading right for Fast Track.

"Damn," Fast Track said as he tried to catch as many bullets as he could before they hit an innocent bystander. Luckily the stray bullets only hit the side of a building, shattering one window. But no one was hurt.

"Time to put these guys down," Fast Track thought as created a wind vortex to pick up the robbers, landing them in a dumpster.

"That takes care of two of them. Now for-" Fast Track was caught off guard by another shot from behind.

"No sudden movement, punk," The last robber said as he held a little girl hostage. Fast Track thought he saw a slight blur. "Now, I'm going to make a getaway, and-"

"Hey!" someone shouted. "You can't fire a gun without bullets."

The robber looked at Omni, who opened his hand and let four bullets hit the ground.

"Bad move, freak!" The robber said. "I had five bullets."

Before he could fire, a punch knocked the robber out. "You just can't beat the classics." Fast Track said as the police arrived.

"Good save," Omni said. "I don't think I've seen you around before."

"I'm not from this part of town," Fast Track said. "I've got to get going or I'll be late. And as a speedster, that's pretty bad."

Fast Track took off, but Omni kept up with him. "How are you doing that?" Fast Track asked. "Are you a speedster, too?"

"No, I can mimic your powers," Omni said. "If you had superstrength or invisibility, I could probably do that, too."

"That's nice, but I've got to get home." Fast Track as he sped up.

"Wait!" Omni said. "I didn't even catch your name!"

"Didn't throw it!" Fast Track said as he sped up.

* * *

 _Happy Harbor_

"Get lost, Cap, we've got enough problems," Superboy said as CM3 landed in front of him and Wonder Girl.

"Yeah, well, you're problems are about to get worse," Captain Marvel Jr. said. "Something's happened to Captain M."

"So Big Red's in trouble?" Superboy asked. "Just go talk to the S-man and his group."

"Yeah, like I can just waltz into into their headquarters," Cap said. "The only way I can get into contact with the JLA is through you guys."

Just then, Robin pulled up in the Redbird. "Looks like you guys are starting the meeting without me."

"This isn't a meeting," Superboy said. "We're just about to get rid of Cap Junior here."

"And have just the three of us do the Justice League gig?" Robin asked.

"The three of us?" Wonder Girl asked. "Didn't you talk to Bart?"

"Bart's out of the game," Robin said. "For now it's just us against the world."

* * *

Fast Track picked up the package at the post office and was ready to get home just in time for the school's open house. That is until

"HiI'mOmnididn'tcatchyourname-" Omni said as Fast Track covered the boy's mouth.

"Look, you helped me out, and I appreciate that, but I've really got to go," Fast Track said as he took off. But Omni kept up with him.

"Look, I'll level with you," Omni said. "My cousins are all busy with school and work and fighting crime to hang out, and I'm really not that great at making friends..."

"I can't imagine," Fast Track.

"So I thought we could hang out for a while," Omni said as Fast Track came to a screeching halt.

"Ummm... no," FT said as he took off again, with Omni coming up behind.

"Look," Omni started. "I'm not asking you to be my best friend, but I'm really bored and could use someone to hang with."

"Fine," Fast Track said. "The name's Fast Track, and I've got a package to deliver. Two hours, and then you go home. Okay?"

"Works for me," Omni said. "By the way, nice costume."

* * *

 _The JLA Watchtower_ , _where Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Plastic Man, and Aquaman were seated at the meeting table._

"Everyone's here but Mr. Cheerful," Plastic Man said, referring to Batman. "So, what's the big crisis? Floods? Earthquakes? New episodes of Suddenly Susan?"

"Yes, Superman, we were just informing our proteges of their new role." Wonder Woman said as Superman and Martian Manhunter stepped into the room.

"Very well," Superman said. "We will begin our... meeting. J'onn?"

Suddenly, a psi blast knocked the JLA members off guard, giving Superman time to knock the Flash and Green Lantern unconscious.

"What kind of trick is this?" Wonder Woman asked as J'onn J'onzz used his mental powers to make Aquaman believe he was in the hot Sahara desert, weakening him.

"Is this for America's Funniest Home Videos, because I think this is going to far-" Plastic Man started to say as Superman grabbed him and tied him in knots, leaving only Wonder Woman.

"Clark, J'onn, why do you attack us? What is the meaning of this?" Wonder Woman asked as J'onn revealed himself. "Great Hera..."

* * *

"So Billy's been acting strange. It happens during puberty," Superboy said as the four teens were seated around the conference table.

"It's more than that," CM3 said. "It's like, someone was controlling him. Like he was some sort of puppet."

"Maybe we should call the big red S and his playmates," Superboy said as the JLA monitor started blinking. "Speaking of which..."

Superman appeared on the screen. "Titans, you are required to come to the JLA watchtower immediately. No excuses." With that, the screen went blank.

"What was that all about?" Superboy asked.

"I'll tell you." Batman said while hiding in the shadows.

"I hate it when he does that." Wonder Girl said.

* * *

"The young ones will be here shortly," The Flash said. "Then they will be taken."

"Yes," J'onn replied. "And what of the Batman?"

"He never showed up for the meeting," Superman said. "He knows. Therefore, he must be eliminated."

The seven JLA members stood ready to teleport, all victims of Starro the Conquerer.

* * *

"So you're saying Starros are taking over the world and no one's noticed?" Superboy asked. "Giant starfish attached to people's faces would be a little hard to miss."

"No." Batman said. "These Starros are smarter. They attach themselves to the victim's chest, so they're able to hide their appearance."

* * *

Fast Track and Omni were on their way to New Jersey, and Omni was firing out questions at a mile a minute.

"What's it like to have superspeed all the time?" He asked. "Is it fun? Does that mean you don't have to get your license? I think I'd get mine anyway because-"

"Why don't we wait until we deliver this package before we exchange our entire life histories?" Fast Track cut in.

"Hey, look up there!" Omni pointed to the sky. "It's- _him._ "

Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel landed in front of them, both with an evil look on their faces. Mary's Starro was clearly visible on her chest.

* * *

"Anyone could be a Starro, and you would never know until it was too late." Batman said.

"How did you find out?" Robin asked. "How do we know you're not hiding one of them?"

"Would I have wasted time filling you in if I was?" Batman asked. "I was suspicious when Oracle broke off contact. By the time I found out what was happening, Nightwing, Black Canary, and half of Gotham's meta villains were under it's control."

"And now it's taken the JLA, and probably half the metas in the country." Wonder Girl said.

"95%," Batman said. "And we've got only one chance to stop them."

* * *

"Wow! Captain Marvel!" Omni shouted. "Can I have your autograph? Oh, wait, I don't have any paper."

Suddenly, Mary Marvel grabbed Fast Track, who ran behind Captain Marvel. "Wow, someone's hard up for a date."

Captain Marvel grabbed Omni and held him by the collar while Fast Track was trying to evade Mary. "Listen, lady, I'm spoken for!" Fast Track said as he held out his fist and closed his eyes. He vibrated just as the Starro on Mary's chest ran into it. A loud shriek was heard as Mary fell to the ground, unconcious.

"Wow. Didn't even know I could do that." Fast Track said as he grabbed Omni from Captain Marvel and started running. Then he dropped Omni and came back to pick up Mary, whose Starro was right beside her, unmoving

* * *

"Mary's been hurt," Captain Marvel Jr. said. "I can feel it. I've got to go and help her!"

"Wait!" Robin said. "It could be a trap. Take Superboy with you."

"No way.", Superboy said. "I'm not going with Captain Dipstick here."

"And I'm not taking the Chia-Clone here on a rescue op!" CM3 replied.

"Either you go with him," Robin threatened. "Or you both stay here. With Batman, whose already P.O.d as it is."

"We'll be back in fifteen minutes," Superboy said as he and Captain Marvel Jr. flew out the door.

"We can't afford to wait for them," Batman said. "If they're not back in time, it's up to you two. I'll try to buy you some time."

Batman stepped into the teleporter, and arrived in the watchtower seconds later.

* * *

"It's him," Superman said. "Where are the young heroes?"

"As far away as possible," Batman said.

"Any last words before you are acquired?" The Flash asked.

"Yes, a question actually," Batman said. "Is it cold in here?"

* * *

Fast Track, with Mary Marvel in his arms, and Omni were running at full speed, but Captain Marvel was hot on their trail.

"Run faster!" Fast Track yelled.

"I can only go as fast as you're going!" Omni yelled back. "You go faster!"

Captain Marvel was almost on them when a punch sent him flying back about twenty yards. Superboy and Captain Marvel Junior landed.

"Get your hands off of her!" CM3 yelled.

"She had this... thing on her," Fast Track yelled. "We got it off, but she fainted."

"Explain it later," Superboy said. "Let's get back to the cave."

"Wait," CM3 said. "How do we know they're not aliens?"

Superboy punched Omni in the stomach. "No, he's cool," Before Superboy could do it, Fast Track lifted his shirt.

"Alright, let's go, you two. We can use any help we can get." Superboy said.

"Us?" Fast Track asked. "Really?"

"Unless you want to stay here with them." Superboy pointed out as Captain Marvel came back, this time Firestorm and the JSA were behind him. The four heroes made their way back, making sure to evade the enemy as they went.

* * *

"It's been almost a half hour," Robin said. "Looks like it's up to us, Cassie."

Superboy and Captain Marvel Jr., holding Mary, flew through the door. Fast Track and Omni were right behind.

"Who are they?" Robin asked.

"They're cool," Superboy said, then added "Well, they're not aliens anyway."

"Mary was hurt," CM3 said. "I'm going to stay with her."

"It's a little late to change the plan," Robin said. "You're going with us."

"Let him stay behind," Superboy said. "We don't know if we can depend on these guys if we get in trouble."

"Hey!" Omni yelled. "We may not be great heroes like Super what's his name and Batguy, but we can handle ourselves."

"Yeah." Fast Track added. "We're just as good as...as...actually, we are the bottom of the superhero scale."

"Quiet," Omni said. "That may be true, but that doesn't mean we have to stand here and be insulted. I can go home for that."

"Maybe Superboy's right," Wonder Girl said. "The three of us will go up first. Then if it's safe, we'll send for them."

"Fine," Robin said. "You three stay here. And keep the doors locked. We don't know who to trust anymore."

* * *

Moments later, Robin, Superboy, and Wonder Girl transported up to the JLA watchtower. Everything was dark, except for the lights from the stars shining through the skylight.

"I wonder if Batman pulled off his part of the plan." Superboy asked.

"If his plan was to fail, then yes." Superman said. The entire JLA stood before the three Titans, even Batman, who had a Starro attached to his chest.

"Now what?" Wonder Girl asked. "Do we just stand here or-"

"Let's kick some JLass!" Superboy shouted as the JLA charged.

"Wait-" Robin warned, but both Martian Manhunter and the Flash were flying at him at full force. Without even having to think, he pulled out his bo staff and tripped Flash, at the same time pulling out a high density lighter to keep J'onn at bay.

After putting Aquaman down with a combo of Tactile Telekinesis and speed, Superboy managed to get a few punches in on Superman before he was sent flying into the wall.

"Kon!" Wonder Girl yelled, but she was busy with Wonder Woman, who about to use her lasso. WG grabbed Plastic Man and quickly fashioned him into a lasso of her own to tie Wonder Woman down long enough to distract her and use her own lasso against her.

With Martian Manhunter and Flash down, Robin concentrated on Green Lantern, who was inside a giant green exoskeleton. Robin pulled some paint grenades out of his utility belt and aimed them at GL's face, successfully blinding him long enough to deliver the knockout punch.

Meanwhile, Superman was pounding away on Superboy when Robin pulled out a tiny fragment of Kryponite, weakening Superman long enough to render him unconscious.

"Where did you get that?" Superboy asked.

"Batman told me he was going to hide it in case we needed to take Superman down fast," Robin said. "And not one word about protocols, Kon."

"That was way too easy," Wonder Girl said. "The JLA should have shredded us without a thought."

"They would have," Robin said. "If Batman hadn't come through."

"Speaking of which," Superboy added. "Does anyone notice a lack of Bats around here?"

* * *

 _The Justice Cave_

Omni was keeping a lookout while Fast Track was pacing back and forth at superspeed.

"What's taking those guys so long?" Captain Marvel Junior asked. "Mary's still unconscious."

"I think that's the least of our worries," Omni said. "We've got an invasion of killer sushi to worry about, remember?"

"Maybe they're in trouble. Maybe we should go up and help them." Fast Track said as he noticed he was burning a hole in the floor.

"Like now?" Omni asked.

"I was going to give them a few more minutes." Fast Track replied.

"No, I mean, we really should go right now!" Omni yelled as Fast Track and Captain Marvel Junior saw what he saw: An army of heroes and villains charging toward the cave.

* * *

"Batman lowered the temperature of the watchtower to below freezing, weakening the Starros," Robin explained. " That's how we took them down so easily."

"Yeah, but that doesn't explain where Batman disappeared to." Superboy said.

"Uh, guys?" Wonder Girl interupted, pointing to the corridor. Batman was unconcious, and the Starro was lying next to him.

"But how-" Superboy asked as he noticed someone moving in the shadows.

 _"Perhaps I can explain."_ A voice said as two metal restraints shot out, wrapping around Superboy's body and legs. Four more came from nowhere and trapped Robin and Wonder Girl.

 _"Don't bother struggling,"_ The voice said. _"Those are kryptonian restraints. Escape is futile."_

* * *

"How'd they find us?" Fast Track asked.

"Captain Mar- Big Red's got kind of a psychic link with me." CM3 said. "We've got to get Mary and get out of here."

"Great," Fast Track said. "Earth's being invaded and I get stuck with Tag-along Lad and the Psychic Super Friend."

Fast Track and Omni blocked off the door by piling as much stuff as they carry in front of it, which doesn't work if heroes like Max Mercury and Firestorm can just phase through.

"Alright, Plan B," Fast Track said. "Run like hell!"

"We've got to get Mary!" Captain Marvel Jr. yelled as Omni and Fast Track pulled him to the teleporter.

"We can't help her if we get caught." Omni said as he started pushing as many buttons on the control panel as he could. Just as Max Mercury, Firestorm, and Captain Marvel burst into the room, the teleporter started humming and the three teens disappeared.

* * *

The three captive Titans were unable to see the face of their captor as he walked around the Watchtower control center.

 _"It didn't take a genius to see the Batman had duped the Justice League,"_ He said. _"An elecromagnetic charge in his suit to render the pod unconcious was rather brilliant."_

"I take it you're the leader of this invasion?" Robin asked as he lay on the floor alongside his friends.

 _"Yes. I personally wanted to handle things from the JLA Watchtower,"_ He continued. _"Luckily I arrived just in time to see that Batman lowered the temperature via a remote control. I caught him as he was trying to find a way to keep the League restrained once you had finished with them."_

"That's why he wanted us to come up. He needed a distraction to weaken the JLA," Superboy concluded. "Batman had the invasion handled all along. He just needed cannon fodder."

 _"He had our defeat planned down to the exact second. Unfortunately, he didn't count on me,"_ The Starro said. _"The fool thought the leader was still on Earth, controlling the one called "Marvel"."_

"Batman naturally thought it would be the most powerful meta on Earth," Superboy said. "And all along the leader was a powerless nobody."

Snapper Carr stepped into the light. _"Correct. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to decide which pods get to control you three losers."_

Snapper left the room as Superboy struggled with his restraints. "These things are impossible to get out of!"

"Well, at least you can depend on Kryptonian technology," Robin replied. "Unfortunately for us."

"There they are!" Omni shouted as CM3 and Fast Track followed him into the room.

"What are you guys doing here?" Wonder Girl asked.

"We had some unexpected guests in the cave," CM3 said. "How do we get you guys out of these things?"

Robin stopped struggling for a second."Only a League Member would have the knowledge to-"

"Got it!" Omni said as he released Superboy.

"How did you do that?" Wonder Girl asked.

"I just pressed this little button that said "release"." Omni replied.

"Let's get out of here before Snapper gets back," Wonder Girl suggested. "He could be on his way here any second."

"The geek with the starfish in his shirt?" Omni asked. "I think he'll be busy for a while."

"Why?" Robin asked.

Omni pointed out the window as everyone saw Snapper, along with Superman and Wonder Woman, adjusting the JLA sattlelite dish.

"What are they doing?" CM3 asked.

"It looks like they're trying to attract something," Robin replied. "But what?"

"That!" Fast Track said as he pointed out into space. A giant planet sized Starro was headed towards the moon.

"They've modified the sattelite into a tractor beam!" Superboy said. "That must be the mother of all Starros."

"And they're going to bring it here." CM3 said.

"I hope the Watchtower has a lot of spare room" Omni said.

"Well, that's it. We're done," Superboy said. "At least with the little Starros we had a small chance. What the hell are we going to do against a giant one?"

Omni was analyzing the situation. He looked at the sattelite, then at a coming comet, then at the giant Starro. He looked between the three for about fifteen seconds.

"I just thought of something." Omni said.

"What?" Fast Track asked.

"This sucks."

"Alright, here's what we're going to do," Robin said. "Wonder Girl, Superboy, Captain Marvel, suit up and get out there to the sattelite. Try to shut it down or reverse it or whatever it takes to keep that thing away. Keep radio contact at all times. Omni, Fast Track, You two come with me."

"Why do you get to call the shots?" Superboy asked.

Robin just stared at Superboy for a few seconds.

"Okay, okay, you're the man." Superboy said.

"What are we going to do?" Omni asked.

"We've got to keep the Starros distracted while the others disable that sattelite." Robin replied.

"Wait a minute," Fast Track said. "Wouldn't keeping the Starros distracted mean that we have to keep the JLA distracted?"

As they turned the corner, they saw most of the League, minus Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter, standing there, waiting.

"What kept you?" Snapper asked.

* * *

Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Captain Marvel Junior were flying toward the satellite in their protective space gear.

"Where did everyone go?" Superboy asked. "A minute ago Superman and Wonder Woman were here."

"Maybe they're inside, planning on where to land that Starro." Wonder Girl replied.

"Maybe we're right here, waiting for you." Green Lantern said as he and Martian Manhunter appeared out of thin air.

* * *

In a blur, Superman had grabbed Omni and was slowly crushing him. Batman and Wonder Woman were attacking Robin, who was unable to fend off both of them. Meanwhile, Fast Track was being pummeled by the Flash.

"So much for the temperature." Robin said as he was tossed into the wall.

"We could really use some actual JLA type super powers right about now!" Fast Track said as the Starro on Flash's chest was struck by a blast of heat vision. "What was that?"

"Cool! I have heat vision!" Omni shouted as stray laser blasts shot around the room. "Does anyone need a can opened?"

"He's got Superman's power!" Fast Track said as he vibrated his hand through the Starro on Flash's chest to remove it.

Omni elbowed Superman, knocking him back into the wall.

"Omni, use his ice breath!" Robin shouted as pulled out a mini taser from his utility belt and zapped Batman. Omni inhaled, then used Superman's ice breath to freeze the Starros on Wonder Woman and Batman.

"Three down, four to go!" Robin said as he pounced Snapper Carr. Fast Track grabbed Plastic Man and fashioned him into an anchor, swinging him into Aquman.

"That just leaves Superman," Robin said as Superman blasted Fast Track, taking him off his feet.

"This is a minor setback," Superman said. "You will all fall before this is over."

"I shouldn't have left the kryptonite in the meeting room." Robin said.

"Wow!" Omni said. "Us against Superman! This is going to be the biggest battle ever!"

* * *

"Do not let them reach the satellite." Martian Manhunter said as he morphed his arms into giant scythes and started slashing at Wonder Girl.

"Leave her alone!" Superboy yelled as he and Captain Marvel Junior were captured by two big green metallic arms that started crushing them.

"You obviously don't know who you're messing with!" CM3 said as he used his strength to break free, shattering Green Lantern's hologram.

"And you've probably forgotten about my tactile telekinesis!" Superboy said as he broke free from the other arm and used his energy to start punching GL. Then he noticed Wonder Girl was backed against a wall with J'onn's scythes coming closer.

"I'll take Green Lantern!" CM3 said. Superboy was already on top of Martian Manhunter, bragging about his tactile telekinesis as he knocked J'onn into a crater.

"Are you alright?" Superboy asked as he noticed Wonder Girl had a small cut on her.

"I'm fine." She said, looking away from Superboy.

"Stay down." Superboy replied. "I'm going to take down that satellite."

"What about Captain Marvel?" Wonder Girl asked. They looked up and saw CM3 and GL were trading punches, with CM3 delivering most of the hits.

"He'll be fine." Superboy said.

* * *

"Wow, I've never seen such a battle!" Fast Track said as Superman was on the ground, with the Starro beside him. "We'll never see another fight that big again."

"Yeah," Omni replied. "I can't believe we stopped Superman by-"

"Come on," Robin interrupted. "We've got to see how the others are doing."

"What about the head Starro?" Omni asked.

"He's probably already telepathically contacted the other Starros," Robin replied. "We've probably got about three minutes before this place is full of possessed metas."

"What do we do?" Fast Track asked.

"We take down that giant Starro," Robin said. "But how?"

Omni was thinking. "I've got it! No, wait, we don't have time to get the cast of Will & Grace up here. Wait, I've got another idea!"

* * *

"This thing won't budge!" Superboy said as he pushed the satellite. A crash was heard as Green Lantern landed on the moon's surface.

"I knew you couldn't do this without me," CM3 said as he and Wonder Girl flew up and started to push against the satellite.

"Wait!" Robin shouted as the others floated out. "Aim it toward that comet!"

"The comet?" Superboy asked.

"Joel Osment's Comet!" Omni said. "Aim that tractor beam at the comet and plow it into that Starro!"

The six teens started pushing the satellite and pulled the comet into the tractor beam. Superboy and CM3 started pulling on the other side and directed the comet right into the eye of the Starro. A loud scream was heard as the Starro started falling back away from the moon.

"That won't stop it." Robin said.

"No, but it'll buy us some time." Superman said as the Justice League stood before them. Green Lantern had the Starros in a giant green jar.

* * *

 _Epilogue, The Justice Cave_

With the Justice League freed, J'onn was able to telepathically command the giant Starro into making the Starros on Earth free their captives. After a quick round up, the Starros were boom tubed to the far side of the universe. Of course, whether or not all the Starros were rounded up is still unknown...

"We knew you would make us proud," Superman said to Superboy, Wonder Girl, and CM3. "And we hope you will consider staying joining the League."

"I don't think we're ready for being Leaguers yet," Superboy said as the others agreed. "If you don't mind... we'll keep the Young Justice name for now."

"What about you?" Batman asked Robin. "Was this your final night as Robin?"

"It was supposed to be," Robin said. "But I can see these guys need me. But this changes nothing between us."

"Of course." Batman said. If Robin hadn't turned away, he would have seen Batman do something he never does: smile.

Fast Track and Omni were heading out the door.

"I guess my two hours are up," Omni said. "I guess you want to be going home now. You've still got that package to deliver."

"No prob. My da- The guy who needs this, isn't expecting this until tomorrow. You know, I've been thinking," Fast Track said. "Maybe we could hang out this weekend. Play some basketball or go to the arcade or something."

"Cool." Omni said as Superboy pulled them both back.

"Where do you think you're going?" Superboy asked.

"Home," Omni said. "Don't you guys have hero stuff to do?"

"I think you mean _we_ ," Wonder Girl replied. "Unless you guys don't want to hang around with us."

"You mean... you want us to be members?" Fast Track asked. "Honorary members of Young Justice?"

"Well, you did help us save the world," Robin said. "And we do need a speedster since Impulse said he's not ready to be on the team right now."

"And we could use... whatever the hell Omni is." Superboy added.

"So what do you say?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Yes!"

"Of course, there's still the matter of getting rid of Captain Dipstick here." Superboy said.

"What?" CM3 said. "I'll show you who's the top hero here, pal."

Superboy and CM3 started shoving each other as Wonder Girl sighed, while Omni and Fast Track started wagering on the outcome.

"Is it too late to go back to working solo?" Robin asked.

"What do you think?" Superman asked.

"They're going to do just fine." Wonder Woman said.

Everyone looked at Batman. "Hh."

 _ **The Beginning...**_


	19. Wonder Showzen Part 2

**Titans Forever #18**

 **"Wonder Showzen, Part 2"**

* * *

Terrance Phillip Berg was sitting at his desk, looking over the editorials for the college newspaper. As editor-in-chief, it was his responsibility to make sure everything ran smoothly, and that the stories and articles in the paper were up to the standards he'd promised to stick to when he took the job. He was dressed in a button down shirt and slacks, and had neatly cut blonde hair, as he had been trying to stick to a professional appearance as opposed to his days working as an intern at Feast magazine, which got him the job of working as editor of the college paper thanks to his resume, and the references from his former co-workers, including his former boss Kyle Rayner.

It was Terry's goal to one day work for a real major newspaper, like The Daily Planet. In fact, he had already made plans to submit his resume to Perry White, who was one of Terry's idols in the business. If he worked hard enough, maybe he'd get to work alongside the likes of Clark Kent and Lois Lane someday, covering the major events.

But for now he had to work with what he had, running a small campus newspaper. But it was going to be the best damned college newspaper anywhere by the time he graduated in four years. He sat back, reading an article on how the Teen Titans saved the day once again when his phone rang.

"Berg," said Terry as he picked up. Moments later, he'd dropped the phone and rushed out the door upon hearing the message from the other end of the line.

* * *

 _Styfl Joy, Co_

Two sets of teens stood facing each other in the remains of the scientific laboratory. One of them being the Wonder Twins from the planet Exor, a pair of twins with the ability to shape shift, Jayna was currently in the form of a velociraptor. Zan's body was frozen over, giving him the appearance of an ice statue. Alongside them was their pet capuchin monkey, Gleek, a small brown animal wearing a diaper.

On the other side were Marvin & Wendy, the two interns left in charge while their boss was away. Marvin had gained access to a secret door and found a suit capable of increasing one's speed. Wendy had armed herself with a heat laser and had it aimed at Zan. Alongside them was Marvin's new dog, a golden retriever who'd found his way into the building. The interns were trying to stop Zan and Jayna from stealing valuable technology they'd broken in for.

"Make the first move," Jayna said in a garbled tone, prepared to attack at a moment's notice.

"Ladies first," replied Marvin, as he got ready to speed towards her.

Jayna lunged at him but Marvin sped out of the way and rushed around the creature, slamming his elbow into her back, knocking her into the wall. He ran towards her but a patch of ice appeared under his feet, causing Marvin to hit the ground, sliding away.

As Wendy saw this, she aimed and fired the heat laser at Zan, whose body melted into a puddle of water, quickly running along the ground towards her. Wendy fired the laser, but it couldn't hit the water fast enough as it started rising around her legs, enveloping her body slowly.

Marvin started to stand up, but Jayna's body started morphing from a velociraptor into a timber wolf. She lunged at him, but as she flew through the air the retriever sprang into action, pushing her back to the ground. Marvin, finally standing up, found himself attacked from behind as Gleek landed on his head and started pulling at his hair.

"Bad monkey!" shouted Marvin as he tried to pull Gleek off of him, but the monkey had fistfuls of his hair in his tiny hands. Gleek screeched as Marvin tried to pull at him, but the monkey refused to let go as the boy was wildly moving about to get him off of his head.

Jayna and the golden retriever were circling each other, both growling, both waiting for the other to strike first. Jayna finally attacked but the retriever moved as she sprung forward, biting into her tail. The wolf howled as the retriever pulled back, yanking Jayna back with him.

Zan, meanwhile, was still rising around Wendy's body, attempting to drown her. He was almost over her mouth when Marvin had finally tossed Gleek off of him, sending the monkey flying against the wall. He quickly rushed and vibrated his hand through the water, upsetting the molecules as Zan screamed, causing the water to fall into a puddle on the ground.

"You okay?" asked Marvin, but before he could get a reply, the water sprang back up and covered Marvin completely, icing over almost instantly and trapping the boy inside.

"No!" shouted Wendy as she grabbed the heat laser, but Gleek landed on her back, covering her eyes. She misfired and nearly hit Jayna; the blast hit a chunk of wall that fell onto the retriever, trapping it underneath.

Jayna smirked, or tried her best to in her current form, and leapt towards Wendy, tackling the girl before she could fire. "It's over," said Jayna, growling as she did so.

"I'll say," came a voice standing at the doorway. Robin stood in the entrance, his bo staff at the ready. Behind him were the rest of the Teen Titans.

"We can't take all of them," said Zan, still having Marvin trapped within his ice form.

"We don't have to," replied Jayna as she remained on top of Wendy. She saw Gleek climbing through the air vent with what they'd come for. "Let's get out of here."

Jayna's form began shrinking until she had turned into a bat. It started screeching as it flew towards the vent. Zan quickly became a puddle of water, releasing Marvin from his grip as he hit the ground. He started flowing towards a vent in the ground as Omni looked at them.

"Catch you guys in a few," said Omni, feeling Zan's powers flowing through him as he started mimicking the alien teen's shapeshifting power. At the same time, Offspring took the form of a white African bat and flew off through the air vent to catch Jayna.

"Are you two okay?" Robin asked as he saw Marvin was shivering.

"Yeah," replied Wendy as she sat up. "Why did you let them get away?"

"They won't get far," said Wonder Girl. "Omni and Offspring will bring them back."

* * *

Both bats flew through the vent on the roof at the same time, with Offspring ramming into Jayna, knocking her off balance.

"Another shapeshifter?" laughed Jayna as she grew into a falcon. "I can deal with this."

"Yeah? Well anything you can do, I can do better," replied Offspring as his form began to morph into an eagle.

Zan's watery form rose out of the sewer grate, laughing to himself.

"TIDAL WAVE!" shouted Omni as a burst of water blasted through the grate, smashing into Zan and knocking him to the ground. The water began to morph back into Omni as he looked at his hands. "Neat, I'm cleaner than after I take a shower!"

"Want to play water games?" asked Zan as his left arm turned into a watery blade. "Let's play."

* * *

"So, this suit gives you superspeed?" asked Impulse as he looked at the suit Marvin had been wearing. "I prefer the real thing. Looks really familiar, too."

"That's Fast Track's costume," Wonder Girl realized. "Or at least an upgraded version of it."

"It was supposed to be a top secret experiment," said Wendy as she closed the door to the secret room, locking the suit back up. "It's still highly experimental."

"What did those two come here to steal?" asked Robin as he looked around the lab.

"No clue," replied Marvin as he sat on the chair, still freezing from his experience. "We're just interns. My first day, actually."

"Your last day if you don't start listening to me," replied Wendy as she looked at him. "I told you to stay out of the lab."

It was then that the company's owner, Christopher Adams, came in pushing his son's wheelchair.

"What in the hell happened here?" asked Christopher as he looked at the mess.

"Break in, sir," replied Robin as he saw Grover. "We're tracking the thieves now. We were just on our way to catch up with the others to see if the thieves have been caught."

Grover looked over at Marvin before looking back at Robin. "Sure you don't want to break his legs before you go? Or have you assholes found another calling card to leave?"

"I think we should get going," said Robin as he looked at the others, trying to ignore the sudden drop in temperature the room took as Grover entered. "We've done all we can here."

"Really?" asked Grover as the Titans walked past him. "Because my arms still work if you want to take that bo staff to 'em!"

* * *

Zan continued to stab at Omni with his watery blades as Omni continued to easily dodge him.

"Stand still, you little bastard!" shouted Zan as he stabbed forward.

"Hey, I might be small and I may not know who my father is but...hey, what do you know?" replied Omni as a falcon fell on top of Zan, just as an eagle landed and morphed into Offspring. The Wonder Twins, now unconscious, returned to their normal forms as the rest of the Titans arrived.

"Hey, you didn't leave anything for us," said Damage as he looked at the unconscious twins.

"You can clean up the mess," replied Omni as he patted his friend on the back as the police arrived. As the Titans restrained the Wonder Twins, Gleek was watching from the sewers, holding the stolen goods.

* * *

Having changed back into their civilian clothes, the Titans returned to the college campus amidst reporters and police surrounding the dorm room.

"What happened?" asked Tim as he looked around.

"What happened?" replied Terry, trying to hold back the pain he was feeling. "It's Cody... he's-"

"He's what?" Bart asked as he looked at Terry. "Where's my bo- Where's Cody?"

"He got jumped by some bashers who just took off," Terry told him bluntly. "He's on his way to the hospital now, but...where the hell were the Titans? I thought they were hanging around this place."

Bart immediately felt something snap within him, something that only Tim's detective skills could pick up on. He grabbed Bart's arm to keep him from running.

"I heard there was a break-in downtown," replied Tim. "They were-"

"Playing hero when someone else was actually in danger, it's just like that bank robbery* where those kids were orphaned," said Terry as he looked at the group of teens. "I'm- I'm starting to wonder if the Teen Titans are heroes or publicity whores. They're never around when someone actually needs them."

Terry turned his back as Tim pushed a needle into Bart's arm, giving him a sedative specially designed for speedsters. "I've got a story to write since my star reporter's nowhere to be found."

As Terry started walking off, Grant caught Bart as he fell backwards. "Bart?"

"Cody's his roommate," said Tim as he looked at them. "Get him back to his dorm and take care of him. And make sure he doesn't leave. I've got work to do."

* * *

The police escort was headed back to S.T.A.R. Labs, where the Wonder Twins would be held until a proper place could be found to hold them. But little did they realize just how good the twin's shape shifting abilities were. When the door was opened when the transport arrived at the lab, they didn't see the common house fly buzz out past them, or notice the light mist that was floating right over their heads. All that was left in the van were the restraints used to hold the twins.

* * *

"Bart's slipping," said Robin to Oracle as he sat perched on top of the dorm building. "First with what happened when Inertia pulled his little stunt, and now this. I'm just...worried about him."

"Maybe you should be talking to Wally, or even Jesse," Oracle told him.

"That would mean betraying Bart's trust and I won't do that," replied Robin as he spotted his prey.

"Tim, I know whatever Bart's hiding must be huge, but you two have to trust someone at some point," stated Oracle.

"I will when he's ready," Robin said to her. "Gotta go. I'll call you later."

As Robin spotted the bashers who sent Cody Wyatt to the hospital, he leaped off of the rooftop as he pulled his bo staff. He was going to bring them to justice and-

 _ **WHAM!**_

Something touched down on Robin's back, sending him flying to the ground and landing him hard on his stomach. Before he could raise his head, a swift kick from a black boot hit him in the face, sending the Boy Wonder rolling over. He opened his eyes just in time to see a large black restraint wrap itself around his body, leaving him no room to move. Another swift kick knocked him out, then there was just darkness...

* * *

In the not too distant future, in a galaxy far, far away

The door to the saloon on the outskirts of Monostat 7 flew open, crushing two small green aliens behind them, leaving two smears on the wall as the large, 8 foot form of the Main Man himself entered, a cigar hung from his mouth. Everyone in the saloon knew him and his reputation, and did what they could to steer clear of the most feared bounty hunter in existence.

Lobo made his way to the back of the saloon and took a seat, finding the two mooks who had summoned him there wearing purple cloaks to hide their faces.

"Who the frick asked for the Main Man?" asked Lobo, removing the cigar from his mouth and holding it between two fingers. One of the figures nervously pointed at the other as Lobo smirked. "This better be a good payin' job or else I'm outta here and I'm taking your lungs wit' me."

The figure reached into his cloak and gave Lobo the envelope. "Kill them. Kill them however you wish, no matter how painful, and you'll be handsomely rewarded."

"The Main Man's already handsome enough, but if you two jokers are screwin' around-"

"We are not joking, we just need these two out of the way and we need it done as quickly as possible," the figure told him.

Lobo opened the envelope and looked at the pictures. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"Be the easiest job ever," said Lobo as he put the cigar back in his mouth. "Let's shake on it."

The figure reached across to shake hands with Lobo, finding only a crushed, bloody stub return to him. Lobo put the photo of Zan and Jayna in his jacket as he grabbed a pitcher of booze, wanting to get good and wasted before he set out on his next mission.

 **To Be Continued...**


	20. Titans on Ice

**"Titans on Ice"**

 **Titans Roll Call**

 _Robin, The Boy Wonder_

 _Impulse, The Fastest Boy Alive_

 _Wonder Girl, The Young Amazon_

 _Damage, The Human Explosive_

 _Omni, The Power Mimic_

 _Risk, The Thrillseeker_

 _Offspring, The_ Shapeshifter

Apart they're just sidekicks and illegitimate children; Together they're the TITANS! Proteges of the Justice League, whippersnappers to the JSA, and all around annoyances to the Outsiders!

* * *

The Reverend and his wife stood on the covered bridge looking down into the icy water. The winter weather was getting worse and the winds were particularly brutal. In the Reverend's hands was a small basket with a sleeping child inside, covered only by a blanket. The child appeared to a normal baby boy, completely unaware of the hand that fate was about to deal him.

"You can't!" the woman yelled as she grabbed her husband's hand. "That's our baby!"

"He's not our baby, he's a freak of nature! A demon of hell!" the reverend yelled as he held the baby's basket over the edge of the bridge. "And he must be destroyed. It is God's will!"

"No!" the woman yelled, but it was too late. The man dropped the basket over the edge into the freezing river below, watching helplessly as it disappeared from sight.

"Now, let's go," the man said as he pulled his wife along. "Our real child is waiting for us."

The Reverend pulled his wife from the bridge, unaware that the basket was floating up the river where it soon came to a stop in a snowy bank. By that time, the baby inside was crying. Not too far away, a homeless woman was making her way through the snow, when she heard the sounds of a child crying. A sound she never thought she'd hear again.

She found the basket and picked the baby up, noticing how the blanket he was wrapped in was covered in ice. She looked at the baby and smiled.

"Who on Earth would abandon such a sweet creature?" the woman asked as she carried him off into the increasingly worse storm...

* * *

 _Several Years Later_

It was one of the warmest days in California history. People were wearing shorts, sandals and tank tops, some wearing even less. The masses were sweating, trying to keep themselves cool with large amounts of cold beverages, ice cream and dips in the ocean.

But not 17-year-old Walker Sullivan. Besides his shaggy brown hair hanging down in his face, he was dressed head to toe in a heavy layer of winter clothing: two sweaters on top of a few t-shirts; briefs under boxers under long johns under sweatpants under blue jeans; three pairs of socks in snow boots and fingerless gloves under winter gloves. But the oddest thing of all about Walker Sullivan's appearance...he wasn't sweating one bit.

As he walked towards the town, people stopped to take notice of the boy, only seeing what appeared to be a crazy young man walking along, none of them even noticed the boy's broken spirit. As he wandered down the sidewalk, no one dared to even to even try to make eye contact with him.

"Hey, moron, it's 90 degrees out!" a man passing by shouted, followed soon by other comments, but Walker just brushed them off...until he stopped to watch a mother picking up her toddler and holding him. Seeing her touch his skin as she kissed his cheek.

As Walker looked around, he noticed more and more situations that were eating away at him. People kissing; people holding hands; touching each other, taking advantage of a gift they didn't even realize they had.

A single tear rolled down Walker's cheek, freezing as it broke off, falling to the ground. He fell to his knees and started sniffling like a lost child until a woman put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" she asked as Walker jerked back.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" shouted Walker as he stood up, causing people to finally take notice, some of them actually laughing at his appearance. The anger and sadness finally became too much to bare as Walker pulled off his gloves. If he couldn't feel the warmth of human contact...then no one would.

* * *

Further up the street, Seren, former inhabitant of the ocean, was trying to find a new source of water to keep hydrated. The beach had been far too crowded and ever since he'd been cursed with these human legs, he'd found his strength and ability to communicate with the creatures of the sea had been cut nearly in half. Otherwise, he'd have forced the intruders out of the water.

He found that while he could breathe underwater, he could only survive under the ocean for so long. The same curse applied for above water. If he didn't stay hydrated, he'd suffer the consequences as well. It was the worst of both worlds.

Dressed in an orange tank top, green shorts and a pair of sneakers, Seren made his way up the street as people rushed past him, trying to get away from the freak who had suddenly gone berserk. As Seren wandered closer, he found a chilling surprise...

* * *

The UCLA Campus

The crime scene was taped off late that morning, hours after the bodies had been discovered. Three college students had been beaten brutally and left for dead the previous evening. It wasn't even much a battle. Whoever beat the three students was obviously far too much for them.

"This wasn't just a random beating," the police chief said as the stretchers were taken to the ambulance. "Whoever did this took these kids apart like they were rag dolls."

"Officer, I think these were the guys responsible for a gay bashing yesterday afternoon," said Terry Berg as he held out his pen pad. "Any confirmation on this?"

"We're investigating all leads," the chief said to the young man, "but we ask that if anyone has any information to this crime, please call the LAPD immediately."

"And if these aren't the guys who did yesterday's crime?" asked Terry. "Should anyone with information come forward on that case, or does it not matter anymore?"

"This interview is over," the man said as he walked away.

"Like hell," muttered Terry as he wrote down a few more notes before returning to his office.

* * *

"I don't know what happened," said Tim as he held an ice pack to his head as he leaned back on Grant and Cameron's couch. "I tracked down the guys who did it, I was about to take them down and force a confession. Then something hit me and I was out like a light."

"Do you think it was Bart?" asked Cassie as she brought Tim a fresh ice pack. "He seemed pretty upset about his roommate being attacked."

"It wasn't," replied Cody Driscoll, the newest Titan known as Risk. "I was with Bart all afternoon at the hospital. He never left the guy's side and, if he did, it wasn't at the time you said you were attacked. At that point, he was sleeping in a chair next to the bed. I left him there and headed home."

"Is Cody awake?" asked Grant as he flipped through the news channels."Bart's Cody, I mean?" en bones and bruises the dude's going to be out of there in a few days," replied Cody as he sat next to Tim on the couch. "Whoever did this, it wasn't Bart."

"Outside of some broken bones and bruises, the dude's going to be out of there in a few days," replied Cody as he sat next to Tim on the couch. "Whoever did this, it wasn't Bart."

"And it wasn't one of us," added Tim as he looked around. "I think we might have a new player on campus. I was trained by the best. No one outside of a few people could get the jump on me and none of them would give a rat's ass about a trio of scum like that to travel all the way out here for this."

"Guys, check it out," said Grant as he stopped on the local news.

"The city's become a winter wonderland as a metahuman with powerful ice manipulation powers is attacking everything in sight," the reporter said, dressed for winter weather. "So far no one can get close enough to the young man to try to stop the devastation as-"

The picture started to go light with snow as the channel was knocked off the air. Tim looked around. "Grant, Cassie, Cody, let's roll. Luke, you and Cam go stay with Bart and make sure he stays out of trouble until we sort through this."

Luke and Cam saluted as they rushed out the door.

* * *

The Titans suited up and headed out, finding downtown Los Angeles was now covered in snow and ice. Everything had literally come to a standstill as the group looked around.

"I guess hell finally has frozen over," Risk muttered as they walked along.

"One person caused this?" Wonder Girl asked as they moved forward.

"You'd be amazed at how much damage one person can do when driven to it," Robin replied as he stayed ahead of them.

* * *

Cody Wyatt opened his eyes as he laid in his hospital bed, seeing Bart sleeping in the chair next to him. He reached his bandaged wrist over and put it on Bart's arm.

"You didn't have to stay," Cody whispered as Bart opened his eyes.

"No, but I wanted to," replied Bart as he smiled down at Cody. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got caught in the middle of a three-way between Rosie O'Donnell, Lisa Lampanelli, and Dom Deluise," replied Cody as Bart laughed.

Cam and Luke appeared in the doorway, holding 'Get Well Soon' gifts; several, in fact, with more out in the hallway.

"We came to see if your roommate was feeling better," said Cam said as he tried pulling an overstuffed teddy bear through the door.

Bart moved a strand of hair out of Cody's eyes, looking down into them. It was time to tell his friends the truth about everything. "Cody's not my roommate."

"Bart-" Cody started to say as Bart looked over at his friends.

"He's my-"

* * *

The wind started picking up at the four Titans made their way to the heart of the blizzard that was overtaking the city.

"This guy's pretty strong," shouted Damage above the sounds of the strong winds that were blowing against them. "Do you think he's one of the JLA's rogues?"

"Doubt it!" replied Robin as he tried to see his way through the storm. "Captain Cold, Killer Frost, Mr. Freeze, this doesn't fit any of their MO!"

"I see him!" said Wonder Girl as she spotted Walker in the middle of the blizzard. He was on his knees, having stripped off all the layers of his clothing except for his long-johns and one of his t-shirts. "He's cute!"

"What?" asked Robin, having actually heard her loud and clear.

As Walker looked up, seeing the Titans approaching, his eyes frosted over even more as the winds grew more intense.

"So much for the stealth approach!" shouted Robin as the Titans started to hold onto whatever they could to keep from blowing away.

"Leave. Me. ALONE!" angrily shouted Walker as he poured all of his energy into the devastation.

Wonder Girl tried to fly towards him, using all of her strength to not be blown back.

"Hera... give me strength!" begged the young Amazon as she reached for her golden lasso. It wasn't as powerful as her mentor's, but it was still strong enough to anchor her waist to a light pole.

"We need to cover her!" said Robin as Damage and Risk nodded. The two Titans tried to make their way toward Walker to help Wonder Girl as the winds became even more powerful.

"How's your pitching arm!" shouted Risk as he looked at Damage.

Wonder Girl, falling backward after being knocked back, was caught by Robin's hand as the two tried making their way back to Walker.

Damage used all of his strength to swing Risk around, hopefully gaining enough force to launch him into the wind without him flying back. He finally let go as Risk flew towards Walker, getting caught in the whirlwind, swinging him around.

"SHIIIITTTT!" shouted Risk as he finally grabbed a light pole and swung around, back at Walker, finally tackling him. "Got him! What the-"

Walker head-butted Risk by flinging his head back, forcing the Titan to let him go. Before he could recover and rush forward, Walker held out his hand and iced the ground under Risk, causing him to slide into the wall behind them.

Before Robin could stop them, Wonder Girl and Damage rushed past, or at least tried with the winds blowing them back. As Robin watched, he noticed something moving in the alley. As he got closer, he saw that it was Seren, who was freezing.

"What are you doing here?" asked Robin as he took off his cape and draped it around Seren's shoulders. Luckily his costume was warm enough to keep him from freezing, although he didn't know if it could in these temperatures for too much longer.

"Freezing my gills off," replied Seren, feeling a bit warmer from the insulated cape. "Well, if I had gills anymore."

"Stay put," said Robin as he pulled out his bo staff. "I'll-"

It was then that Damage and Wonder Girl blew past him, crashing into a parked car. Seren sighed as he pulled out his makeshift trident.

"I shall assist you," said Seren as he looked over at Walker. "If only to end this damnable weather."

Cameron and Luke just sat there, staring at Bart and Cody. The silence had lasted a good twenty minutes before Luke finally spoke up. "So, um, how does that work...exactly?"

Walker stood up on the ice and snow covered sidewalk as Robin and Seren approached. The wind was blowing through his almost shoulder-length brown hair as he watched the two come towards him.

"You don't have to do this," said Robin said as he held his bo staff. "We can help you."

"Help me?" replied Walker as he looked at his hands. "I can't touch anyone or anything without it turning to solid ice. I can't feel the warmth of someone's skin against mine. You can't help me."

A blast of icy energy shot out of Walker's hand as Robin jumped out of the way. Further blasts continued as Robin used his staff to pounce up and over the ice, trying to make his way towards Walker.

"There are people who can help you!" shouted Robin as he attempted to get closer. "You can be helped!"

"You're lying!" replied Walker as he blasted Robin's boot, causing it to be covered in a solid block of ice, trapping him. "You're just like everyone else!"

"All humans are alike to me, as well," Seren told him as he hit Walker with his trident, sending him flying into the wall. "But that doesn't mean I want to kill them all. I'm cursed as well, but I'm not going on a homicidal rage over it."

Walker tried to stand up as Seren swung his trident again, knocking Walker back into the snow. Another swing and Walker was on his back.

"Your curse can also be a gift," said Seren as he looked down at Walker, holding the pointy tip at Walker's throat. "I've been using my time among the humans to try to learn more about this strange new world. A lot of it bores me, but there are some...interesting aspects to it as well. There are these fascinating delicacies called choc-o-diles."

"I like choc-o-diles, too," replied Walker as Seren kicked the teen's gloves over to him. Seren retracted his trident and helped Walker stand up as soon as his gloves were on. "If you wish, we can explore this strange world together. I'm in need of someone who can provide me with hydration, and your powers could prove of use to me. And perhaps I can aid you in learning to control your powers."

"What, you mean like...friends?" asked Walker as he looked up at Seren.

"Don't press your luck," replied Seren as the cold winds started dying down and the sun once again began to shine over the city. "But perhaps...within time."

The Titans stood up as Robin freed himself from the ice. As the group surrounded Walker, Seren held them back.

"I believe I've solved your problem," said Seren as he looked at them. "You can all bow before me now."

"Yeah, right," Risk said as he looked at Walker. "So, you ready to be carted off to the local precinct?"

"He's not going anywhere with you," Seren told the Titans. "He's coming with me."

"Oh, no freakin' way," replied Damage as Robin got between him and Seren. "This loon's just iced over half the city. He's too unstable to-"

"I think Seren's right," said Robin as he looked at Damage. "He was the one who got through to this kid. He saved our butts, so I say we give him a chance."

Robin looked at Seren. "But only one chance, understand? The next time this happens, he gets put away."

"You've got to be kidding," laughed Risk as he looked over at Robin. "Why are you trusting Frosty here to this guy?"

"Because I think Seren can handle it," replied Robin as he looked at the others. "Now come on, we've got a mystery on campus to solve."

As he turned to walk away, he looked at Seren. "Don't let me down. I'm trusting you to keep this guy in check."

Robin handed Seren a Titans communicator. "For emergencies."

As the Titans left, Seren looked at Walker. "Come, you can help me reclaim my ocean."

* * *

 _The UCLA Campus_

Robin looked over the scene, finding nothing as the others searched the rest of the area.

"Nothing," said Robin with a sigh. "Not even a single shred of evidence."

"Maybe those guys got a look at him," Wonder Girl said as she floated in the air next to Robin. "I mean, provided they didn't have the sense knocked completely out of them."

"Already questioned them," replied Robin as he kneeled down and looked at the footprint in the dirt. "Said all they saw was a blur. They were out before they knew what hit them."

"Look, these dirt bags got what came to them, so why are we even trying to the guy that did the job we should have in the first place?" asked Risk as he leaned back against a tree. "Let's just drop this, because frankly, this guy's a hero in my book."

"He's no better than the guys who beat Cody up," said Robin as he faced Risk. "The next time, this guy could probably kill someone. And I'm not waiting around for that to happen."

"All right, all right," Risk told him with a smirk. "What's got your cape in a bunch? Ever since we found out Bart's roommate you've been… Wait, is this striking a little too close to home for you?"

"Excuse me?" asked Robin as he raised an eyebrow.

"Are you...into guys?" asked Risk, trying not to laugh.

"NO!" shouted Robin as Damage and Wonder Girl came close. "I'm not, but- Look,let's just drop this. Let's go check up on Bart."

As they started walking away, Damage nudged Risk in the arm. "Dude, do you think he's-"

"Totally," replied Risk as they headed back to their dorm room.

* * *

 _S.T.A.R. Labs_

Inertia was sitting in a cell that was specially designed to counteract his powers. He couldn't vibrate through the wall or shatter glass. All he could do was bounce off the walls, trying to find a weakness. There had to be a weakness. He had to get out of this place and finish his quest to destroy his cousin.

Are you still looking for a way to escape?

"Who said that?" asked Inertia as he looked around.

I did. I'm contacting you from a place that's not far from you, Inertia. And I can help you get your revenge. I can help you destroy your enemies.

"Who are you?" asked Inertia as he sat down.

A friend. All I ask in return for helping you to escape is to help me escape as well. Do we have a deal?

"I'm probably going to regret this, but...okay," said Inertia as he stood up.

Several miles away, another incarcerated villain smiled to himself. Soon he'd be free, and then the world would belong to Bedlam.


End file.
